Sephora has, so far this year, put out 3 of there Sephora Favorites - Give Me Some Nude Lip sets! At one point they had all 3 available on the website as the same time. Made for some confusing searching! As of writing up this post, there is only 1 set available. But I have seen the other 2 pop up now and again on the website as well as in-store, hence why I thought I would give you a quick peek at all 3 together. I picked up the first one in January when it first showed up. My sister quickly picked up the second in March when it popped up. And lastly I picked up the third at the beginning of July.

3 Sephora Favorites - Give Me Some Nude Lip sets

All 3 sets cost $33.00 CAD to buy and have a retail value of $106, $82, and $84. The first set had the highest value because it contained 2 full size products instead of the usual 1. Since these kits have come out, the Estee Edit has been really discounted on Sephora, I think they are getting rid of the line.

In the first Sephora Favorites - Give Me Some Nude Lip lip kit you got (listeed in the order of the swatches below)-

Estee Edit - The Barest Contour Lip Liner in 05 In The Buff (full size) - nude brown - I like that they included a lip pencil in this set, and the Estee Edit pencil is a great one! I was actually quite surprised at how much I have been using this pencil. I am a huge fan of nude lips and this pencil is a great foundation for most of the shades that I like to wear! It just helps to even out my natural lip color and everything I put on overtop had looked great.

Buxom- Full-On Lip Cream in White Russian (deluxe sample) - nude pink - this was the only product in the set that I wasn't to keen to try, I am not a gloss person! I still haven't tried it so I can't give you my quick thoughts on it, sorry! It does seem to be somewhat opaque for a gloss though.

Too Faced Cosmetics - Melted Matte Liquified Matte Long Wear Lipstick in Queen B (deluxe sample)- matte soft mauve - my sister has this in a full size and while I liked it, it is a little to mauve for everyday wear for me! I love the formula of the Melted Matte Lipsticks though and have a couple of other shades in full size.

Bite Beauty - Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Honeycomb (deluxe sample) - beige nude - I find this shade to more of a peachy nude on me. I love the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche lipsticks and this one is no exception. They feel like nothing on the lips and seem to last a decent amount of time for me.

Marc Jacobs Beauty - Le Marc Lip Creme in 246 Slow Burn (deluxe sample) - creamy nude rose - this shade does show up as more pink on me than nude, but the formula just seems to melt into your lips!

Urban Decay - Vice Lipstick in 1993 COmfort Matte (full size) - medium brown - I love Urban Decays Vice lipsticks, both the new and the old formula and have quite a few shades of both. 1993 is definitely a brown shade but I still find that I like it. The Comfort Matte formula is comfortable to wear and doesn't suck the life out of my lips!

To me if I like most of the products in a Sephora Favorites set it is usually more than worth the price! And at a price tag of $33 CAD for 5 lip shades plus a lip liner this one was a no-brainer for me! Even though I am not a fan of 1 of the products that's ok.

The second Sephora Favorites - Give Me Some Nude Lip has a lot of gloss in it! I was orginally going to pick it up but I was really only interested in it to try out the Nars and Urban Decay. My sister, however seems to treally like gloss so she quickly snapped up the set and let me 'borrow' it to add into this post!

The second Sephora Favorites - Give Me Some Nude Lip lip kit, a lot of gloss here for gloss lovers.

Sephora Favorites - Give Me Some Nude Lip lip sampler - Summer's nude-ist edition to lip! This neutral set features all the must-haves to create the perfect nude pout!

In the second Sephora Favorites - Give Me Some Nude Lip lip kit you got (in the below order of the swatches)-

Tarte - Lippie Lingerie Matte Lip Tint in Revealed (deluxe sample) - light mocha - This is the brownest shade in the bunch! These are really nice, they don't dry down to a matte finish, instead it stays more of a semi matte, not drying at all, very comfortable.

Nars Cosmetics - Velvet Lip Glide in Bound (deluxe sample) - rose pink - This was one of the products that made me want this set! Luckily for me, my sister already has the full size of this so she kindly gifted me this deluxe sample!

Too Faced Cosmetics - Lip Injection Glossy in Spice Girl (deluxe sample) - pink nude - another fairly pigmented gloss. I don't see any pink in this at all, all I see in this is peach. Not quite as sticky as the Marc Jacobs though.

Urban Decay - Vice Waterproof Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Trivial (full size) - matte pink nude - I really wanted to try out the Vice Liquid lipstick and this was the other product I was interested in the set. I found that this lasted quite a long time for me, I still had some on 7 hours after I had applied it. I may have to pick up one of these!

With only being really interested in 2 of the products in this set, I am glad that I didn't pick up this set. But it was a perfect one for my sister who loves gloss much more than me! Not to mention that since she already has a full size of the Nars, she gave me the mini from this set!

And lastly, the third installment of the Sephora Favorites - Give Me Some Nude Lip! As soon as I saw this one pop up at the beginning of July, I ordered it! I had been eyeing the Kat Von D, Ciate and Tarte for a bit already! The third set has a retail value of $84.00 CAD, not bad if you will use most of the products, especially the full size one.

The third Sephora Favorites - Give Me Some Nude Lip lip kit.

Sephora Favorites - Give Me Some Nude Lip lip sampler - Fall's nude-ist edition to lip! This neutral lip set includes five deluxe and one full size lip product to help you achieve flawless nude lips.

In the third Sephora Favorites - Give Me Some Nude Lip lip kit you got (again in the order of the below swatches) -

Ciate London - Liquid Velvet Moisturizing Matte Liquid Lipstick in Bitter Sweet (full size) - grey mink - to me this is a muted mauve, perfect for Fall! I am looking forward to wearing this shade in the Fall. Hoping that the Ciate formula is close to Too Faced.

Buxom - Full-On Lip Cream in Dolly (deluxe sample) - sultry mauve - the Full-On Lip Creams are supposed to be a more pigmented version of Lip Polish. Like I said before, not a huge fan of gloss but I will give this a try! The shade looks really nice and I have heard that Dolly is their best selling shade.

Kat Von D - Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Ludwig - nude fawn - when I had first seen the new shades this was the one that interested me the most. Looks like a great peachy nude! I didn't end up picking up the full size but as soon as I saw that this lip set had it, I had to have it! Looking forward to this one.

Tarte - Rainforest Of The Sea Color Splash Lipstick in Rum Punch (deluxe sample) - nude - My sister had picked up a full size of the Tarte Rainforest Of The Sea Color Splash Lipstick in Salt Lyfe, and loved the formula and told me I needed to try it out. The peachy shade of this one looked likes like something I would wear!

Make Up For Ever - Artist Rouge C211 (deluxe sample) - rosewood - this is supposed to be a universally flattering shade. Not to cool, not to warm, just right! I have a full size of the Artist Rouge C105 and find them to be comfortable on the lips. Looking forward to giving this universally flattering shade a try!

Bite Beauty - Multistick in Brioche (deluxe sample) - rich terracotta - these are supposed to be a multi-use type of formula, you can wear them on the eyes, lips and cheeks... I picked up another Bite Set that 2 of these, that I still haven't tried out, oops!, but this was a different shade than in that set! I am thinking that this might be a good shade for the cheeks. Haven't tried them out but looking forward to giving them a go.

I have said it before, but I love most of the Sephora Favorites set that they bring out! I think that they are a great way to try out a variety of products at a great price. As an added bonus, who doesn't like mini products?! I rarely get to finish up a full size product so having a mini size of a prodcut to try out to findout if I like them is a great way for me to try out a lot of products at a fraction of the cost.

I thought it would be good to see all 3 of the Sephora Favorites - Give Me Some Nude Lip lip kits together so you would be able to see the difference in each one. The top 2 are the first and third one and the bottom is the second one. I don't think you would go wrong with any of the 3. If you are a fan of gloss though, the second one would be the one for you. The first and third have more matte to traditional formulas. The Sephora Favorites are also a great way to try out more expensive brands at a fraction of the cost of one full size product.

With finally reading the inserts inside the Sephora Favorites - Give Me Some Nude Lip lip kits, it looks like they brought out a new one for each season! I wonder if they will bring out another one for Winter?! Will it be Gloss? Or Matte? or Traditional? Will I be picking it up or will my sister have to have to have it?!

I am getting my Trash up before the end of the next of month! I am now officially caught up on Trash and Boxy Charm! Now I will be able to finally write about something besides those 2 things!

It would appear that July was not a great month for using up products for me! I did manage to use up a few full size products, not a lot of samples again though, I really need to get on that again.

Face and Body Care Trash for July 2017.

I used up a few full size products and a few deluxe size in July, not great but not bad either!

Kirkland Daily Facial Towelettes - They have changed the packaging on these makeup wipes that I get at Costco. But thankfully, they are the same product on the inside. Repurchase? Always!

Neat & Easy Deep Cleansing Rose Nose Strips - So I have figured out what the difference is between these and the ones I usually pick up, these are 'Rose' something! Not a fan of these ones and I have picked up the regular ones to see if I still like them. Repurchase? Not the the rose ones!

Ole Henriksen Clean Truth Cleansing Cloths - I was not a fan of these face wipes at all. They didn't seem to be that 'moist' or wet as the Kirkland ones. They also didn't have any texture to the cloths so I felt that I needed to use more pressure to get anything off of my face. THe slight citrus scent was nice, but that was the only thing I liked about them. Repurchase? No

The Body Shop Satsuma Shower Gel - I loved the scent of this body wash! Really helped to wake me up in the morning! It wasn't drying in the least and a little gave a lot of lather with a body poof. Repurchase? Yes!

Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Daily Peel x3 - I used up 2 of the 'ultra gentle' formula and 1 of the original formula. It says that you can use these daily but I used them every other day. I did find that my face felt softer and that my creams absorbed into my skin faster on the days that I used these at night. I have 2 more of the original formula to use up and will use them quite happily. I am not sure if I would purchase these or not yet, maybe after I use the other 2? I do have a few other peels in this format to try as well. I can see that having the peel in this packaging would make it really easy if you were travelling, not something that I do much of right now. Repurchase? Not sure yet.

Lancôme Bi-Facial Double Action Eye Makeup Remover - I really enjoy using this eye makeup remover! It doesn't make my eyes water and it actually gets off at least 95% of my eye makeup without a lot of wiping! I am not sure which I like better this or the Sephora brand one...I may pick up another of the Sephora one to see if I still like it! Repurchase? Probably!

The Body Shop Shea Nourishing Body Butter - First off, I hate sticking my fingers in pots of creams! But that is about the only thing I don't like about The Body Shop Body Butters! They are very moisturizing and sink quickly into your skin. I do think, that for me, the body butters are better to use during the cooler months when my skin is drier. It was fine during July but I think I would see more benefit using them in the winter. Repurchase? Yes in the winter!

The Body Shop Vanilla Chai Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - I love the smell of The Body Shop Vanilla Chai! But I wasn't the biggest fan of this body scrub. It didn't seem to have a lot of scrub to it. I like a body scrub with a bit more to it I think. It was great to try this out though, I love the scent! Repurchase? No

Clarins Super Restorative Total Eye COncentrate - This has to be one the biggest eye cream samples I have had! I used this only at night and it lasted me almost 2 months! I liked how quickly it absorbed into my skin, didn't reallly seem to have a scent, whichi is nice around the eyes! Didn't make my eyes water or go blurry, all good things! I unfortuantly didn't notice any difference in my under eye area, no reduction in bags, lines or darkness. I didn't notice that they were more pronounced either so thats a good thing! Repurchase? Not sure? I wouldn't say no to another sample.

One lonely makeup item!

It was finally time to say good bye to my mini beauty blender! It had started to get a few tears in it and it just didn't feel the same after washing it anymore. I used this little guy everyday that I put makeup on for over a year before it got to this point, not to bad! It is the perfect size to use to blend out concealer in the undereye area and to put powder there as well. They aren't the cheapest sponge but for me I will always have one! I do have a new one on the go and another sitting waiting to be used when I need a new one. Repurchase? Yes.

4 empty, and one not, perfume samples.

I made a little dent in the perfume samples that I have amassed! I found 4 I like and one that is not for me at all. Tom Ford-ORchid Soleil, Prada-Luna Rossa, Elizabeth and james Nirvana Bourbon and Atelier Cologne-Silver Iris all worked well with my body chemistry and I enjoyed using them. Derek Lam 10 Crosby-Hi-Fi smelled horrible on me! I actually had to go back in the shower to wash it off thats how badly it smelled for me. Repurchase? I'm not sure if I would purchase any of these ones, they smelled great but nothing spectacular.

How my house smelled in July.

As you can see from the scents of the votives I burned in July, my house smelled kind of beachy! Lots of coconut. And 1 that I am not sure what scent it was! I have recently found a box with tea lights that I think are from Party Light form quite a while ago that I figured I might as well burn. The problem is, I don't know what scent they are! I haven't found one that has that great of scent yet so that can be a good thing, at least I don't have to try to track down a scent that I don't know what it is. I liked all of the Yankee Candle votives I burned except I didn't find that the Cherry Lemonade had much scent to it.

Not a bad month of empties! I used up a decent amount of product, making room for some new stuff soon I hope! I am still trying not to pick up new body lotion or scrubs until I use up what I have, still a ways to go!

Finally, the last Boxy Charm to catch up on! The next Boxy Charm up will be August and I sure hope I get it up in August! Spoiler alert, the August Boxy Charm is going to contain a Tarte Eyeshadow Palette!

Electric Eyes Palette - Blinc -This palette features a combination of 5 highly-pigmented, jewel tone eyeshadows. The shades beautifully pair together to give you a gorgeous, golden eye look. This formula blends effortlessly, and is long-lasting. #BoxyTip: Apply color on lid with an eyeshadow brush or your finger. Spray your favorite eyeshadow brush with a bit of setting spray for a more intense, foiled application. Retail $45.00 USD.

All I can say is 'WOW, Look at the pigmentation on those swatches!' The shades are named on the back of the palette and are Orpime, Rhodoni, Vanadini, Autuni, and Sphene. I had not known that Blinc did eyeshadow?! Everyone received this palette in their July Boxy Charm. For me this is not a stand a lone palette but one that will work well with any matte palettes I have, Tartelette, Ultimate Basics, Shade & Light, etc. The shades in this palette will work to add a bit of shine to any eye look. Looking forward to using that cranberry shade, Rhodoni, in the fall!

Ultra-Matte Lip - ColourPop -This thin, lightweight formula, smoothly glides on the lips leaving a SUPER intense pigment with a bold, ultra-matte look. It is very long-lasting and 100% kiss-proof AKA no transferring. #BoxyTip: Start with bare, dry lips, or to achieve the smoothest application, start by exfoliating! Next, line your lips with a matching pencil. Lastly, apply your Ultra Matte Lip in a thin layer for the best wear. Retail $6.00 USD.

I did not recieve an Ultra Matte lip, instead I recieved an Ultra Satin Lip. I haven't tried any ColorPop products before and was looking forward to trying them out. Unfortuantly for me I recieved a shade, Lock Diary, that I just don't think I will comfortable wearing outside of the house! I will give it a try on a day that I am not planning on going to far! Just to see how the formula is.

This was one of the products that was an either or, either the INvisible Light Powder Duo or Prep Step Broad Spectrum 50. I was kind of hoping for the duo but would not have been mad at the other! The Broad Spectrum is an all in one moisturizer, primer, and sunscreen. The powder seems to be fairly smooth without a lot of glitter in the glow side! I was thinking that maybe the glow side might be like the Hourglass powder. We shall see.

Uni-Brow Universal Eyebrow Pencil - WinkyLux -One brow pencil to rule them all! Simplify your brow game with this 2-step pencil. Its firm texture gives maximum control so anyone can be a brow boss. #BoxyTip: Fill in sparse areas with the universal pencil, brush through with the custom spoolie tip. Immediately admire your flawless arches in the mirror. Brow-Mic-Dropped! Retail $12.00 USD.

I haven't tryed a brow pencil with a teardrop shape, kind of interested to see if it helps filling in the brows. The shade looks like it will a good match for my brow color, light brown. I am not so sure about the universal brow shade though. It may be to dark for those with very light or very dark hair. Luck for me I am on neither end of the spectrum, I fall right in the middle.

And finally, the last product! I believe we have received other products from Project beauty in BoxyCharm? A setting spray is always the next to last step in my makeup routine, the last being mascara! I have used a few different brands so I am looking forward to trying this one out to see how it will compare to the likes of Urban Decay and Kat Von D.

The total retail value of the July 'Cutie Pie' box was $127.00 USD, not to bad for $35.00ish CAD. I am most excited about the bareMinerals powder, Blinc eyeshadow and the eyebrow pencil. I will try out the other 2 products and see if they end up being favorites.

RealHer Eyeshadow Palette I - As shown in the swatches of the RealHer palette, the pigmentation left a little to be desired. It took quite a bit of work to get the shadows to show up on my eyes. The shades all seemed to somehow blend into each other giving me a very similar look every time I used the palette. Not my favorite thing in the box.

3 Sheet Masks from Biobelle Cosmetics - I actually didn't try these out yet... But I am hoping to try them out soon! I will let you know how they worked out once I use them!

Diamond Glow Powder from Artist Couture - I love the sifter on this powder! You have to turn the sifter to open to get the powder out, all loose powders should have this! Unfortunately, the Diamond Glow powder was way to sparkly for me to use on a daily basis. It would be a great product to use if you were going out for a night out though!

Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick from OFRA Cosmetics - I did wear this on a day that I didn't have plans to do much and it lasted as well as my other OFRA liquid lip! There was some slight feathering into lines, but I am sure that a lip liner would have taken care of that.

Rose Gold Pro Precision Tapered Face Brush 640 from Luxie Beauty - I thought I was going to really like this brush... and I do like it! But I also like a blurred, not beaming highlight! If you want precision when applying highlight, this isn't the brush for you! But, if on the other hand you want a nice diffused look, this is the brush for you!

So the June 'Downtown Charm' wasn't one of the best boxes, I did end up a shiney new brush that I will use! And a couple of masks to still try out, who knows maybe they will become favorites?! I am sure I will be able to find a new home for the products that just didn't work out for me, I do have a 25 year old daugther who is more than happy to take products off of my hands that don't work the best for me.

Sorry about the back to back Boxycharm posts! But in keeping with my attempt to catch up, there will be another Boxy Charm post coming up shortly!

The theme for the June Boxycharm was 'Downtown Charm'

The contents of the June 'Downtown Charm' Boxycharm.

In the June 'Downtown Charm' Boxycharm box I received an eyeshadow palette,3 face masks, a liquid lipstick, a loose highlighter and, my favorite thing, a brush! An amazing selection of products!.

Eye Shadow Palette I - RealHer -This palette has richly-pigmented hues and sexy combinations designed for all eye colors and skin tones. Delight in long-wearing, crease-resistant, fade-resistant, buildable colors in textures ranging from velvety smooth mattes to metallic sheens. #BoxyTip: WIth enough shades to create the perfect daytime, or nighttime look, this RealHer palette will be your new go-to! Start with the lightest color in your crease, than work your way to the darkest color, making sure everything is seamless and perfectly blended! Retail $28.00 USD.

When I first saw the shades in this palette I was happy, they are the kind of shades that I like to wear! But once I started swatching them, not so much. They aren't the most pigmented shadows out there! Not the worst I have tried but certainly not the best. Maybe better on the eyes? We shall see.

I thought I would give you a look at swatches of the shades in the RealHer Eye Shadow Palette I. I swatched them from left to right and top to bottom.

3 Sheet Masks by Biobelle Cosmetics.

3 Sheet Masks - Biobelle Cosmetics - Biobelle's sheet masks give your skin an instant boost, while deeply hydrating and evening your skin tone, revealing gorgeous, glowing skin! Biobelle's Award-winning TENCEL fiber adheres perfectly and delivers antioxidants to your skin faster and deeper. #BoxyTip: Starting with a clean face, apply sheet mask to skin. Smooth out the mask so that the eye, nose, and mouth align to your face. Once applied, hang out and relax while the mask works its magic! Leave it on for recommended time, depending on the instructions listed on the back of each mask. Once removed, rinse excess serum off of your face and return to instructions. Retail $14.97 USD.

Some masks to try out! Looking forward to trying these out, I really want to get into using masks more frequently. Right now I am lucky if I remember to use them once every few weeks! The primer mask sounds interesting, I would not have to time to use it before work, I already get up at 430 to go to work, I don't want to have to get up any earlier than that! I will maybe try this one out on a weekend when time in NOT of the essence when getting ready!

Diamond Glow Powder - Artist Couture -This shimmering powder packs a high glow with a gorgeous sheen, suitable only for true glow getters! This all-natural, loose powder is finely milled doe flawless application. WIth versatility in use, it is suitable for light to dark skin tones. This product can be used on your face to highlight, or on your eyes, lips, and body. #BoxyTip: Grab your favorite highlighter brush to apply this loose diamond powder. Place desired amount of product into the cap of the item, ensuring that you don't use too much powder. Lightly dip brush into the cap to pick up highlighter onto brush and apply where desired. Retail $26.99 USD.

I love the sifter on this highlighter! I think all loose powders should have a sifter that can be closed like this to prevent getting to much powder on top. The highlighter looks like it has a lot of glitter in it...maybe my daugther will like it!

Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick - OFRA Cosmetics -OFRA Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick is a one-step full color that does not feather. This vibrant color will give you a vivacious new look. It is creamy and soft in texture, moisturizing the lips and creating a long lasting lipstick effect. No need to use lip liner, this liquid lipstick gives a beautiful edge to your lip look! #BoxyTip: For best results, exfoliate and moisturize lips prior to application. Carefully outline lips with the applicator, then fill in for a vibrant pout! Retail $19.90 USD.

I like the OFRA liquid lipsstick that I receieved in a previous box, so I was happy when I saw one in this box. Not so happy with the shade though! I am not one who feels comfortable wearing such a stand out shade on my lips. I will try it out and see if the formula is the same as the other one I have.

Rose Gold Pro Precision Tapered Face Brush 640 - Luxie Beauty -Sweep the competition away with this tapered brush! Perfect for dusting away powders, or applying highlighter, this brush screams versatility. #BoxyTip: Great for baking under the eye area and other places on the face you wish to highlight and set. Retail $24.00 USD.

My favorite item to receive in any box! Brushes are one of my favorite things to get. I was looking for a brush like this at Imats last year and couldn't find one quite like this, soft with long bristles and just the right size for applying highlighter or sweeping off excess powder. I can already say that I am going to like this brush!

The value of the June "Downtown Charm' box was $113.86 USD, not the highest box value but also not the lowest! Mind you I am only really excited by the brush so we shall see if anything here ends up exciting me more as I try it out.

Highlight & Contour Palette by IBY Beauty - I used this palette quite a bit, the shades ended up being great for their intended purpose, contouring and highlighting, but hey also worked great sa eye shadows! The contouring shades make great crease shades! The highlight 3 shade worked great as an all over shade to help cancel out discoloration on my lids.

Round Contour Brush by Crown Pro - OMG! I have found my new favorite brush for applying foundation! I haven't used a foundation yet that this brush didn't blend out like a dream. I see what the hype is about when it comes to these types of brushes. Having used this brush. now I wouldn't mind trying out other ones to see how they work for applying different products.

Brow Brush by The BrowGal - This is an ok brow brush. The spoolie works like most spoolies! I do like that the spoolie is on the smaller side, it doesn't mess up the brows when you use it to comb through. The other end of the brush worked well to apply the brow powder as well, it wasn't to thick nor was it to thin that it took forever to fill them in.

Convertible Brow 02 by The BrowGal - I found that the middle shade in the brow palette worked best for me. It was the most neutral shade, not to warm or cool. I didn't try wetting the powders to use them as a pomade, I found that when used dry they gave just enough definition to my brows without making them look to done.

Liquid Glow by Temptu - I was pleasantly surprised at how much I like this highlighter! I haven't used very many liquid highlighters before, they always seem like they will be to much work! But the Temptu highlight was so easy to blend and I didn't look like a disco ball! There are no glitter pieces in it! It just gave off a nice glow to wherever I used it. I didn't try mixing it in with foundation yet but maybe soon!

All in all the May 'Makeup Is Art' box was a winner for me! I LOVE the brush, the highlight and contour palette serves a few purposes for me, I was pleasantly surprised at the Liquid Highlight from Temptu. The brow palette and brush are nice additions to my stash, not exciting but still good products! I definitely think that the $35.00ish CAD that I paid for the box was more than worth it. Do you get BoxyCharm? How are you liking it? DOes it help to get you to try new things?

My May Boxy Charm came in right around the 10th of May, I am liking it better now that they are coming closer to the same time as the US ones!

The theme for the May Boxy Charm was 'Makeup Is Art'. You would think that with a theme of 'Makeup Is Art' that you would be getting colorful products. Not so with the contents of my May 'Makeup Is Art' box! What I did recieve though are a great mix of products that are perfect for greating a neutral base for any color that I may want to put on top of it.

The contents of my May 'Makeup Is Art' Boxy Charm.

In the May 'Makeup Is Art' box I received a contour palette, brow powder palette with brush, liquid highlighter and a paddle makeup brush. A nice mix of products.

Highlight & Contour Palette - IBY Beauty - Sculpt, define, and illuminate your features with the Highlight and Contour Palette. Chic and portable, this PRO-approved kit comes in 6 versatile shades. #BoxyTip: After applying your base foundation, use this palette to highlight and contour. Highlight with a color one or two shades brighter than your face. COntour with a color one or two shades deeper than your base tone. Don't forget to blend! Retail $40.00 USD

The contour palette was one of the products that there were 2 different products you could have recieved. Either the IBY Beauty powder palette or a Crown creme contour palette. I was kind of hoping for the creme contour palette as I haven't tried any creme contouring before, but I am not to upset about the powder one. The shades seem like they would work well for people with light to medium skin tones best, I am not so sure that it would work that well for deeper skintones though. It is nice to see that the shades aren't to warm nor is there glitter in the highlight shades.

Round Contour Brush - Crown Pro -This super soft paddle brush can be used with any liquid, powder, or cream product for a full coverage application. #BoxyTip: Ideal for sculpting and blending, this brush is best used with liquid or cream products. Retail $24.99 USD

I was so excited to see that I recieved a paddle makeup brush! I have been looking at this shape for quite awhile and am happy to have gotten one in Boxy Charm! The bristles on this brush are dense and soft. It came with a bristle protecter that you can use to set the brush in when you aren't using it.

Brow Brush - The BrowGal -This double ended brow brush was designed to allow for precision and creating hair-like strokes, while filling in the brows. #BoxyTip: Use spooly side to comb brows upwards, Use the brush to fill in brows using the convertible brow palette! Retail $14.00 USD

Convertible Brow 02 - The BrowGal -The Convertible Brow is a powder/pomade duo that acts as a powder when used dry and a pomade when used wet to fill in and apply color and definition to the brows. Each compact has a warm, neutral, and ash tone to allow you to mix your perfect, custom color. If used wet, the palette will revert back to powder consistency, ensuring the product does not dry out. #BoxyTip: Using the brush on your dual sided eyebrow brush, comb eyebrow hair upwards. Once groomed, dip the brush end into desired color and outline the arch of your brows. We recommend using the most product at the arch, and the least amount of product at the beginning of the brow. Once filled to perfection, brush your brow out for a flawless, natural looking finish. Retail $35.00 USD

I put these two products together because to me they go together! The double ended spoolie brush is a great size for using on your brows, the brush end isn't to wide like I have seen on some other brushes. Nor are the bristles to floppy or stiff, it just seems like a good brow brush! The brow powder only came in one shade, I think, which luckily for me looks like it will work for my brows. My brows are a light brown shade so the middle color looks like it would be a good match. The first shade looks pretty warm to me though. I am not so sure that this would work the best for someone who has dark hair though, the darkest shade doesn't look dark enough to me. But I guess you could always use the powders for eyeshadow if the shades don't work for your brows!

Liquid Glow - Temptu -In this limited edition collaboration with Boxycharm, TEMPTU introduces Liquid Glow, its first hand-applied highlighter. Formulated to deliver a radiantly luminous complexion, or to illuminate all over, this long-lasting formula is designed in a rose gold hue that flatters every skin tone and creates a natural, lit-from-within glow. #BoxyTip: Apply to the high points of the face, under or over your foundation, and anywhere you want to glow. Mix in with your favorite liquid foundation for an all-over glow! Retail $29.50 USD.

I have not used liquid highlighter much before, to me I think of them as to much work! I was thinking that this would have sparkle in it but I am happy to see that it does not, it just looks glow-y. I am interested to see if this will end up being a lot of work to use as a highlighter and also how it will work mixed in with a matte foundation.

The 'value' of the May 'Makeup Is Art' box is definitely there, $143.49 USD! But it is really only a great value if I end up liking and using the products. Boxy Charm is $21.00 USD a month plus $5.00 shipping to Canada, with the exchange it usually cost s me between $30.00-$35.00 CAD. I will let you know if it was worth it for me this month!

Rodeo Drive Highlighter by OFRA Cosmetics - My thoughts were pretty true for what I was thinking on the OFRA highlighter, it is a little to much for my liking. You can sheer it out somewhat, but it does take some work. My sister on the other hand is loving it and was quite happy to take it off my hands.

Blend Squad 3 Piece Contour Blending Sponges by PÜR - I have learned that I am just not a fan of beauty sponges that have that flat side on them. I find that they almost make a line if I end up touching that area to my face and than I have to work more at blending it in. The sponge itself wasn't bad, they are a little stiffer than a Beauty Blender though.

Concealer Palette by Measurable Difference - This was a complete dud for me. The creams creased within a couple of hours when I tried to use them on my under eyes and I could barely get it to stay on my face when I tried to use it there. The creams also dried up really quickly in the palette, I was barely able to give it many tries before this happened.

Lip Gloss: Plato's Cave by Allegory Story - I liked this lip gloss, as far as lip gloss goes! I am not the biggest fan of most glosses as I find them to be to sticky for my liking. This gloss wasn't that sticky though and it had great color. The glossiness didn't seem to last to long but the color did seem to hang around for a few hours.

Hairgurt Smoothing Yogurt Shampoo by Project Beauty - By the end of this tube of shampoo the scent was starting to make me nauseous! It just starting smells like something was rotting, not what you want your hair smelling like! It did an ok job of cleansing my hair? It didn't dry it out nor make it exceptionally tangled either, it just didn't wow me.

So no real surprises for me with from the April 'Boho Glow' box. Nothing quite stood out in the April box. Did I think the box was worth $35.00ish CAD? I liked the gloss, my sister is loving the OFRA highlighter, I did use up the shampoo, the PUR Sponges aren't a complete write off, the only real dud in the box was the concealer palette. So I would have to say that the box was worth it for me, even though I didn't find anything that really wowed me, it was fun trying out new products/formulas.

In keeping with trying to catch up somewhat, here is my June 2017 Trip Through My Trash! And up before the end of July! Yay me! I have been keeping up with taking all the pictures of products before using and doing pictures for Empties and BoxCharm, but the hard part has been finding the time to actually sit down and edit pictures and than write the posts.

A nice size of empties, some new and some oldies, mostly goodies!

I managed to empty quite a few products in June, no samples though?! I thought I had used up some? Oh well maybe next month.

Face and Bodycare empties, not the most exciting but I did manage to use up quite a bit.

Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo - I had picked up a duo of the litre size of this clarifying shampoo at, surprise-Costco! My sister and I split on it as I wasn't sure if I wanted 2 litres of it! I didn't mind this clarifying shampoo, it did a good job of getting all the buildup off of my hair. The scent on the other hand was not my favorite. It is a little on the strong side with regards to the scent, not a bad scent just strong. Repurchase? Not sure, I do like the Pantene one and like the scent of it as well.

Pantene Repair & Protect Shampoo - I finished up the matching shampoo to the conditioner I used up last month! The shampoo has a nice fruity type scent that didn't seem to linger in your hair. Not much to say, it did it's intended purpose of cleaning my hair. Didn't seem to strip my hair, I don't have a lot of damage so I can't speak as to how it would do for that. I do have a strange patch of frizzy hair, it was still frizzy after using this shampoo. Repurchase? There are so many other shampoos to try and I haven't found one that I want to stick to yet.

Fluffs Cotton Pads - These are pretty much always in my Trash posts! I like them, they do the job at an amazing price! You can't beat $1.25 for 100 cotton pads. Repurchase? ALways

Nivea Creme Care Facial Cleansing Wipes - I picked these wipes up on clearance at Shoppers Drug Mart to try out, I was thinking on doing a post on wipes at the time. They were just ok, they did not have an texture to them and were not the most moist wipes I have found. They do have a fragrance to them as well, not bad just you can definitely smell them. Repurchase? Doubt it.

Bath & Body WOrks Gentle Foaming Hand Soap x2 - Another product that is usually in Trash posts! Frosted Coconut Snowball has a sweet scent that I kind of got tired of by the end of the bottle, but it did make my hands feel great! Eucalyptus Mint is a favorite of mine, and I love having it in the kitchen. The scent is so refreshing, but I do find I need to use a moisturizer afterwards. Repurchase? Eucalyptus Mint, definitely. Frosted Coconut Snowball, maybe.

Sephora Rose Cleansing Wipes - I got these wipes during either the Black Friday Sale or Boxing Day, I can't remember which, in a value set. I was hoping to like these wipes as I have seen that other people like them. I, unfortunately, wasnt impressed. They are fairly heavily fragranced, so if you aren't a fan of rose scent, I would not pick them up. They started out nice and moist but that didn't last until the end of the package. They also didn't have a texture them, so I didn't feel like they really got much off of my face. Repurchase? Highly doubt it.

Lancôme High Résolution Refill -3X Triple Action Anti-wrinkle Cream - I am not sure when or where I picked up this deluxe sample, I am thinking it was a GWP though. This creme is very fragranced! Heavy on the floral scent? I found it to be quite heavy so I only used it at night. I did not notice any reduction in wrinkles, but my skin was very moisturized when I woke up, almost verging on greasy. Repurchase? Doubt it.

Marcelle 3 in 1 Micellar Solution - I know a lot of people love this Micellar water and compare it to Bioderma so I had to try it! I also really liked the pump packaging. I did not find it to remove all my eye makeup though, I found that I would have to rub a little harder than I would like to get it off. It did however do a fairly decent job on the rest of my face with a lot less rubbing than in my eye area. Repurchase? Maybe? I was going by what the pump dispenser pumped out, maybe I needed to use more than that?

Neat & Easy Deep Cleansing Nose Strips x3 - I did manage to use these nose strips more frequently in June. Even though I was able to remember to use them more last month I am still not the biggest fan of how they changed them. I will be on the hunt for new nose strips now, the scent is just to much and I am not finding them to be as good as they used to be.

Intuition Pure Nourishment Razor refill - Again, always in Trash! Not much to say other than I can't see myself buying anything other than these as they are just so easy to use in the morning! Repurchase? Always

Next up is a couple of Make Up empties!

A deluxe mascara sample and a Full Size lip liner!

Tarte Tarteist Lash Paint - I had high hopes for this mascara. But it just didn't live up to the hype I had read about it. I found that it smudged within a few hours onto my under eye area, not a good look! I tried a few different times, each with the same result. I also found it dried out fairly quickly, but that may have been due to the packaging on the sample size. It wasn't a twist off cap, instead it was a pull off one. Who makes mascara samples like that? The brush was also fairly hard and pokey. Purchase? No

Urban Decay 24/7 Lip Liner in Naked - I have had this lip liner forever! Love the Urban Decay lip liners though! They are very creamy and do not tug at all. The lasting power on these is fairly decent as well, easily lasts most of the day. The shade Naked is a neutral pink which I really liked wearing under most lipsticks. Repurchase? Probably, I would like to get down in the lip liner stash before adding more in intentionally!

On to Home Fragrance. I was home for quite a bit during June due to some personal reasons so I ended up buring more than usual.

Guava Coconut Fusion - A new scent to me this year, I liked it! Slightly fruity and slightly coconut! A good mixture of them both. I wish I had picked up a few more of this one.

Bahama Breeze - I love this scent and usually pick up a few each year, not sure why I didn't get more this year?

Coconut Beach- I LOVE this scent! Just the right amount of coconut, not over powering, just right. Why didn't I get more?!

Summer storm - I little stronger, spicier scent. Love this when the house has been closed up with the ac on for awhile.

Honeydew Melon - I thought I would like this one, when my mom was around we used to burn this type of scent alot. It's not what I remembered, smelled almost like rotting melons, not a good scent!

Out of the 7 votives, I would repurchase all but Honeydew Melon.

Tealights - I am not sure of the scent on any of these tealights! I found them in a box packed in ziplock bags. None of them had much of a scent unless you stuck your nose pretty much over top of the candle while it was burning, not a good thing to do... Would I rebuy any of them? I doubt it, which is a good thing cause I don't know what they are!

Not a bad month of empties, no samples though! I managed to use up a few full size products, and make a decent dent in the candle stash I seem to have accumulated.

I am so glad that June is almost over... I think June has been the busiest month yet for me and my family, so much going on and not enough time to do anything! I had this post sitting since the first week in June, but due to unforeseen circumstances I am just getting it out now, sorry about that. Here's hoping that July is a better month for us! Or at least less stressful/busy.

Anyway, here is my May Trip Through My Trash!

A whole lot of Beauty Trash for May 2017.

I happily managed to once again use up quite a few products for the month of May, samples not so much! Oh well, you can't get to everything.

First up as usual, Hair and Skin care empties -

Hair and Skin care empties for May 2017

L'Oreal Extraordinary Oil Cleansing Conditioner - Not a fan of the scent on this! It is VERY heavily fragranced, I am not usually bothered by scents but this one bothered me. The product is great, but I can't get past the scent. Repurchase? Not unless they get rid of the scent.

Fluffs Cotton Pads - One of my favorite Dollarama buys! I go through one of these every month or so. Not much else I can say about these that I haven't said before. Repurchase? Always

Kirkland Daily Facial Towelettes - A favorite Costco buy. I think this is my last of the old packaging, I have picked up a box and they have changed the packaging, I hope they haven't changed the product. Repurchase? Hopefully!

Bath & Body Works Fresh Sparkling Snow Body Cream - Another repeat empty that is in most of my Trash posts in some scent or other. I really like the Bath & Body Works Ultra Shea 24 hour Moisture Body Creams, they have some great scents and absorb quickly into the skin. Repurchase? Always

Pantene Smooth & Sleek Finishing Conditioner - A conditioner before the shampoo?! My daughter goes through conditioner faster than shampoo, I think she baths in it?! (kidding!) I liked this conditioner, it did the job of helping get rid of tangles and smoothing my hair. Repurchase? Maybe? There are so many shampoo/conditioners to try!

Project Beauty Hairgurt Strawberry Banana Hair Masque - I got this in a BoxyCharm last year and have just finished it. It was ok, not what I would consider a hair masque though. It just didn't seem to be that moisturizing to me, more like a regular conditioner. THe scent was ok, but the scent did get old smelling fairly quickly. Repurchase? No

Neat & Easy Deep Cleansing Rose Nose Strips x2 - Another Dollarama find that I used to really like. I am trying to remember to use these more frequently. They have changed these nose strips and I am not such a fan of the new ones, they have a really strange chemically smell to them now. Repurchase? I don't think so, unless they change them again...

No 4 Non Aerosol Hair Spray - I got this deluxe sample of hair spray in a Birchbox, forever ago! My granddaughter recently found this for me! I had forgotten what I thought about it so I gave it a try! Remember now why I hadn't been looking for it! It smells like grass and leaves my hair a crunchy mess. Needless to say this isn't empty but it is going into the trash. Repurchase? NO

Schick Intuition Sensitive Care razor refill - What can I say, I like Costco! I buy these razors at Costco and they are my razor of choice. Repurchase? Always

Bath & Body Works Frosted Peppermint Hand Sanitizer - I like that the Bath & Body WOrks hand sanitizers can hang off of any anywhere, if you pick up the holder as well. It makes it much easier to use when I am out and about. The Frosted Peppermint is a great cooling fresh scent that I will use any time of the year! Repurchase? Yes

fresh Rose Face Mask - This is an ok mask but I am unsure that I would spend the $30-75 CAD for a jar when I can get the Rose Mask from the Body Shop for $28 CAD. The rose scent isn't to strong, just enough that it isn't overpowering. My face does feel moisturized after using it but I find that the Body Shop one is just as good. Repurchase? Doubt it, but I also wouldn't say no to more samples of it.

dr Brandt Microdermabrasion exfoliator - Another deluxe sample! I like this exfoliator it does a great job without being to harsh, just enough grit to it! Repurchase? I have a full size of this that I have gotten from Boxy Charm to use up plus a few other exfoliators before I will be needing to purchase anymore. Repurchase? Maybe?

Clarins One Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser - This has got to be one of the most gentle exfoliators that I have come across so far. There is barely any 'grit' to it but it still manages to make your skin feel soft and clean. Repurchase? Maybe? A lot of exfoliators to get through!

Purity Face Cleanser - My favorite face wash to use with Clarisonic! I usually pick these up during Black Friday or Boxing Day and get enough to last me through the year. Purity also does double duty as a great brush cleaner! It does a great job of breaking up foundation off my brushes. Repurchase? Always, during the aforementioned sales.

Next a couple of Make up empties, my personal favorites -

A couple of Make Up empties for May 2017

Revlon Photoready Eye Primer + Brightener - WOW, do I ever feel dumb now! I had just assumed that this was a concealer.... No wonder I didn't find it did much of anything for my undereyes! I have had this forever and have been trying to use it up but just couldn't get it to work for me, now I know why! Oh well, I guess I will have to actually read the products from now on. Repurchase? Maybe now that I know what it is supposed to be used for.

Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder-Translucent - I have been using up this deluxe sample forever it seems. A little of this goes a long way and you don't need very much at all. It truely is translucent and does not give you a powdery look at all. Works great as an undereye setting powder or as an allover face powder. Repurchase? I already have another deluxe sample waiting!

Have a peek at what my house smelled like last month -

How my house smelled during the month of May.

Yankee Candle-Tahitian Nights votive - I liked this scent quite a bit, slightly floral but with a hint of sweet? A bit of coconut maybe? Whatever it is I liked it! Repurchase? I already have few more.

Yankee Candle-Coconut Beach votive - THis has got to be my new favorite scent for the summer! It is coconut scented but not overpoweringly so. Even my husband liked it and he doesn't like coconut. Repurchase? I may have to make a trip to pick up a few more.

Yankee Candle-Catching Rays small tumbler - I like the fresh scent of Catching Rays, I did not like all the black soot left on the jar though. For some reason this tumbler didn't burn clean at all. Repurchase? I have a few more left in votive size!

Yankee Candle-Honey Lavender Gelato votive - This is another new favorite this year. I first picked this up as a car vent freshener and liked it so much I picked up a few votives. It smells just as great as a candle as it does in my car. Slightly sweet but with a hint of lavender. I am not usually a huge fan of lavender scented things but this candle I like, the lavender isn't that strong. Repurchase? I have a few still.

Yankee Candle-Autumn Leaves votive - I'm not sure what it was but this scent got old very quickly even in a votive size. It wasn't my favorite, maybe because I am looking for more of a fresh scent right now? Repurchase? Maybe I will try it again in the fall.

A sad state of Samples, but I did manage to use a couple...

I was really slacking on using Samples in May

Gucci-Premiere- I think I remember liking this? It obviously didn't leave to much of a lasting impression! Purchase? Not sure...

Giorgio Armani-Si- One of my favorite scents, I have quite a few samples and deluxe samples of this still and so far it hasn't gotten old for me! I may use my coupon from a scent sampler and get a full size of this one. Purchase? Maybe

Elizabeth and James-Nirvana Black- Another scent that I seem to have quite a few of. I also have a small rollerball of this one. Not to overpowering but you can still smell it after a day at work. Purchase? Another solid maybe.

bliss-Micro Magic- I liked this sample exfoliator, it had a good amount of grit and didn't irritate my skin at all. Purchase? Maybe?

All in all, not a bad month for finishing up products and getting them out to the Trash/Recycle bin! I am going to continue to plug away at using up some of Sample Stash as well as Full Size products, I find it so satisfying to use something up, how about you? Do you like finishing up your products?

I know I keep saying this, but I am sorry for being so erratic in my posting! I am finally getting moved back into my office/makeup room so hopefully things will get back to normal(or some semblance of it!).

I managed to use up quite a few products in April which is always satisfying to see! It still surprises me that I can use up so much stuff in a month! Some are always going to be repeats but sometimes there are a few new things thrown in there.

First up we have Face and skincare-

Face and Skincare empties for April.

Bath & Body Works Foaming Hand Soap - I used up a Honolulu Sun scent last month. The scent was nice, not my favorite but it was ok. Repurchase? Not sure about this scent.

Thayers Witch Hazel - I used up the Rose Scent which is my favorite I think so far. I use this as a toner and it seems to be doing an ok job, I find that my skin feels cleaner, but not dry after I use this. Repurchase? I already have.

Fluffs Cotton Pads - I pick these cotton pads up at Dollarama for $1.25 and they do a great job for me. I have never had any issue with shedding and they don't seem to soak up all the product! Repurchase? Already have.

Farmacy Brightening Hydrating Coconut gel mask - This is the last mask from the package I received in one of my subscription boxes! The masks were ok, my face felt hydrated after using them but I didn't notice any brightening. I didn't find that the mask fit my face the best, I had to lay down whenever I used them. Repurchase? No I didn't notice enough of a difference to justify the price.

Neat & Easy Nose POre Strip - Another Dollarama find! This do a good enough job of removing the gunk that can collect in the pores on my nose and for the price they work great. They have changed them and I do notice that they have a stronger chemical scent now. I may have to try out the Biore ones again to see if there is a difference now. Repurchase? Maybe.

THe Body Shop Vanilla Chai Shower Gel and Body Gel-Lotion - I love the scent of these! It smells just a little than a Vanilla Chai Latte from Starbucks. The shower gel and lotion were a great combo and the scent did linger for awhile afterwards. Repurchase? If they bring back this scent I will.

Peter Thomas Roth Ultra-Lite Oil-Free MOisturizer - I got this travel sized moisturizer in a favorites set, I think! THey were not kidding when the said that this was a lite moisturizer. I didn't find this was quite moisturizing enough for my combo skin during the winter months but it isn't to bad for the warmer months. Repurchase? No, I have other moisturizers I like more than this one.

Pure+simple Sensitive Cleansing Milk - I won this from a giveaway from Classy On The Run, she is another great Canadian blogger! I liked this as a morning cleanser more so than with my Clarisonic. It did a decent job of cleaning my face in the morning but wasn't quite what I am looking for cleansing at night. Repurchase? Not sure right now.

Intuition Razor Refill - I am not sure what scent this one was in as it didn't have a label on it! I pick up the refills at Costco and haven't found any that I don't like! I love the ease of just shaving without having to use any creams at all. Repurchase? Always

True Blue Refreshing Citrus Body Scrub - I wasn't a huge fan of this body scrub at all. It seemed somewhat sticky and did not have a lot of grit to it. The scent also reminds me of ENO, which always reminds me of being sick with a stomach bug when I was younger and my parents making me drink that stuff...gross! Repurchase? Not likely.

Next up are Makeup empties ( to me the most interesting empties!) -

The illusive Makeup empties!

Tarte Rainforest of The Sea Marine Boosting Mist - I have used up another deluxe sample of this mist and still love it! I have another Deluxe sample size left to use but I am seriously thinking on picking up the full size. I use it as a face mist before/after I put on makeup and it feels so good! Repurchase? Maybe.

touch in SOL Stretchex Mascara - Another product from a Favorites set! I do love the Favorites sets that Sephora puts out! I really liked this mascara alot, it didn't smudge or flake at all. Which is what I tend to like in a mascara. Repurchase? I have so many mascaras to use up that with my luck this will be discontinued before I need to actually pick one up!

Benefit Gimme Brow - I like Gimme Brow but I like the Essence brow gel better! Gimme Brow is a good one if you don't already have fairly decent brows, the fibers really help with that. but i would say if you just need to tint more than building volume, go for the Essence one! Repurchase? Doubt it.

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray - I like the UD All Nighter Setting Spray, I do notice a diference when I don't use a setting spray. The UD does a good job of helping my makeup last a little longer. I did find that once I was about 3/4 of the way through the bottle that the spray wasn't as fine as it was in the beginning, it seemed to spray kind of splotchy. It didn't get any better either, by the time I was almost done the bottle it was leaving drops on my face. Repurchase? Maybe. I am trying out a diferent setting spray right noe though.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer - I was surprised at how much I liked this concealer. It doesn't crease on my nor does it make my under eyes look older than they already are! I do find that I need to use an corrector whenever I used this though, it didn't have quite enough coverage on it's own for me. Repurchase? Probably, once I get through some of my other concealers.

ELF Lip Exfoliator - I have had this forever! From what I can remember I really liked this lip exfoliator, especially as I didn't have to stick my fingers in a pot! This one isn't really empty but it has gone very hard and is probably expired. Repurchase? Maybe now that ELF is easier to get in Canada.

Next up is what my house smelled like for the month -

Home Fragrance empties, or what my house smelled like!

I only used up votive candles in April-

Yankee Candle-All Is Bright- I think I remember liking this! It didn't leave a big enough impression on me I guess! Repurchase? Maybe?

Yankee Candle-Café Al Fresco- I was not a fan of the scent on this one! It was way to sweet, almost sickly sweet. I didn't notice any scent of coffee at all. Repurchase? No

Yankee Candle-Golden Sands- I love the fresh scent of this candle! I am glad I have quite a few more of this one! Repurchase? Probably, when I am need of some more candles!

The Bath & Body Works Wallflower in Celebrate was an ok scent. Not my favorite, it didn't seem to have a strong enough scent to fill the basement where I tend to use them. At first it had a slight Cinnamon scent but that seemed to fade really quickly. Repurchase? Doubt it.

Now onto the Samples I used up!

A small amount of Skincare Samples.

Tatcha-Polished Classic Rice Enzyme Powder x2-This was really messy for me! I think that the full size comes in a pot with a scoop? That would make it less messy! It was ok, I didn't find it was that great though, I was expecting more. Purchase? Doubt it, I expected more for the price a full size product.

Tatcha-Pure One Step Camilla Cleansing Oil- Another Tatcha sample that didn't impresses me as much as I had hoped for. It did seem to do an o job of breaking up makeup but I couldn't use this near my eyes. It gave me the dreaded cloudy vision! Purchase? No

Origins-Ginzing Eye Cream- I really like this eye cream, I have happily used up samples of this before. The downside of it is the packaging of the full size, it's in a POT :(. If this came in a tube I would happily buy this in a full size. Until than I will happily use up any samples I get! Purchase? If they ever change the full size to a tube!

Sunday Riley-Luna Sleeping Night Oil- I unfortunately liked this oil! I was hoping to not like it because of the price. I did find it to be sticky when first applied but the stickiness went away, as did the blue tinge! My skin felt fairly soft after using this and the next morning as well. Purchase? Undecided right now, I do have a few more samples to use up before I need to make up my mind!

Caudalie-Premier Cru Eye Cream- I liked this eye cream as well, especially at night! It was to heavy to use during the day but it felt great at night! It takes quite a while to sink in and it does seem to stick around a long time. Purchase? Maybe, if and when I ever finish the sample stash!

I tried out a few makeup samples from the ever growing Sample Stash

Clinique-Stay matte Oil-Free Makeup x2- I was not the biggest fan of this foundation, it sat heavily on my skin and I could feel that I was wearing it all day. It did however stay well on my oily nose! This one may be better for oily skinned folks! Purchase? Doubt it.

Giorgio Armani-Luminous Silk Foundation- I liked this foundation well enough, it did have a nice glow to it at first. Unfortunately my oily nose seemed to quickly eat up the foundation. It did stay well everywhere else so I am guessing for people with either normal to dry would really like this one, not so much for oily-combination.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment-Sugar Nude and Sugar Rose- I don't mind these samples, but I am not a fan of the little pod samples, finger thing again! I preferred the Sugar Rose to the Nude shade, the Nude shade seemed to almost have glitter in it. Purchase? I doubt it, I seem to have a ton of deluxe samples of these.

Marcelle-Ideal Skin Perfector- I really liked this primer, it has a lotion consistency which spread well and sunk quickly into the skin without leaving a heavy feeling. It didn't help much with pores but if you weren't concerned with them I think you may enjoy this one. Purchase? Maybe?

Total of products used up for 2017 -

Face and Body care - 8 (38)

Deluxe/Travel Size - 5 (17)

Home Fragrance - 5 (15)

Makeup - 4 (10)

Tools - 0 (2)

Samples - 12 (44)

For the month of April I seemed to do a fairly decent job of getting through product. I managed to use up a good amount of full size and samples. Again a few favorites that are usually in my empties and a few new ones! Some that I will repurchase/purchase, some I will not.

Hopefully I will be able to get back to a better posting schedule, or really just any schedule!, in June. Here's hoping anyway!

Continuing with the trend of coming earlish my April 'Boho Glow' box came right around April 10. I am loving that I am getting my box in early in the month, it seems to give me more time to decide if I like the products! Especially if I continue with the slow roll out of posts... Hoping to have that fixed soon!

The theme for the April BoxyCharm, 'Boho Glow' is, I think anyway, due to the fact that Coahella happens in April. Not to mention, who couldn't use a little glow after the short days of winter?! We received products that are supposed to help bring some glow back to our faces!

The contents of the April 2017 'Boho Glow' BoxyCharm

In the April 'Boho Glow' box I received a highlighter, lip gloss, blending sponges, shampoo and a concealer palette. A nice collection of products!

The 'Blend Squad' from PÜR The Complexion Authority.

Blend Squad: 3-Piece Contour Blending Sponges - PÜR The Complexion Authority - Set of three latex-free and non-allergenic sponges. Can be used damp or dry. It's washable, reusable and odor-free. #BoxyTip: For an airbrushed look, dampen your sponge before use. Blend out your foundation, concealer, or cream contour product with the rounded side. Flat side can be used for powder products. Retail of $36.oo USD.

This trio of sponges reminds me of the Real Techniques sponges with the flat side. I was hoping they would be a good replacement for the Beauty Blender but they feel quite a bit denser than the Beauty Blender. We will see how I end up liking them.

I find it a tad funny that they sent us a Shampoo to go with a hair masque that we received last year... I think I have enough of the hair masque left to give it a try a time or 2 with the shampoo. This is in the same Strawberry banana scent of the hair masque that I received last year. I did quite like the hair masque so I am hoping the shampoo is as good.

Lip Gloss: Plato's Cave - Allegory Story - A creamy, pigmented lip gloss with bold color and a touch of vanilla scent. #BoxyTip: Top this gloss over your favorite lipstick or lip liner for a luscious look. Retail $15.00 USD.

As you can see from the swatch above, they weren't kidding when they said it was pigmented! Hopefully this gloss goes on the lips as pigmented as it went on my hand. A very 90s shade of gloss. I am hoping that it isn't a sticky gloss...

Rodeo Drive Highlighter - OFRA Cosmetics - Soak up the summer sun day or night with OFRA's Rodeo Drive Highlighter! This radiant new product captures the luxury and glamour of the famous street in sunny California. #BoxyTip: Use your favorite highlighter brush and lightly dust Rodeo Drive across the tops of your cheekbones. Retail $35.00 USD.

This was one of the sneak peeks that we got before the boxes came out. I am not a huge highlighter fan, I like a subtle glow more than anything else. I was a little worried that this would be a 'beaming' highlighter, and it can be, but from swatching it, it looks like you can sheer it out somewhat.

This was another of the sneak peeks that everyone was getting for April. I wasn't to sure how I felt about this one! Having a lot of shades is good as it can than work for many skin tones, but than again what about if you find one that works great for you? Will you than have to buy the palette again to get that one shade? It is a cream concealer which means it is thicker than I am used to, I mostly use concealer under my eyes and I haven't had the best of luck with creams there. I guess you could use the palette for cream contouring? From the swatches it looks like Vanilla should be a good shade for me.

All in all not a bad box for April. There are a few things I am excited to try, and some i am sure I will need to figure out ways to make them work for me. The April 'Boho Glam' BoxyCharm has a retail value of $115.99 USD, which is a great value for having paid $25.00 USD for Canadians (works out to around $35.00 CAD a month with exchange).

Now for my thoughts on the March 'Creepy Cute' themed box -

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer - I actually had thought that I didn't like the Smashbox primer! I am glad I gave it a try, I actually liked it. It had more of a lotion consistency than I remembered, I thought it had more of a thick feeling. There was no strong scent and it did seem to help my makeup stay in place longer.

SS023 Deluxe Fan Brush from Crown Brush - I thought that I would really like this brush for highlighter, turns out that I like a smaller fan brush that! I did like using this brush to apply bronzer though, it seemed to do a good job of applying it lightly.

Urban Rustic Palette from Naked Cosmetics - This is by no means a stand alone palette for me, what I do find it is great with is a neutral palette to give the look some pop! I have used the shades along side the Naked Basics palette and have really been liking them. I don't think this palette is worth almost $40 USD though, for the simple reason that you need to use more than just this one palette.

Matte Liquid Lipstick from RealHer - The shade I received, I Am A Rockstar, was a nice shade, just not for me. I found that the lipstick never fully dried down either, instead it stayed feeling tacky. It also wore away weirdly on the inside of my lips. All in all not a huge fan of this.

Lipliner from RealHer - I received the shade 'I Am Loved' which is a great match the liquid lipstick. Surprisingly I really liked the lipliner! It was nice and creamy and didn't tug at all when I applied it. I like wearing this under a nude lip shade as it adds some more color to it.

There is a quick look at what I received in my April 'Boho Glam' BoxyCharm as well as my thoughts on the March 'Creepy Cute' box. I am glad that I gave the Smashbox Primer another try as I was happy to find that I like it! I wish the RealHer Liquid Lipstick had performed better for me, but at least I am liking the lipliner. And who can't find a use for a nice brush?!

Again, its been awhile! But, better late than never! A lot has been going on in my personal life which has made it hard to find time to sit and write. I have also been having issues with my eyes which sometimes makes it hard to sit in front of a computer. I did however manage to use up quite a few products in March, still working my way through half used, back ups! I am getting closer to having less of a 'Stash' sitting half used in cupboards/drawers which is making me happier.

Face, Hair, and Body care Trash for March 2017.

In March I managed to use up a fair amount of Face and Skin care products! Again a couple I have been working on for abit!

Nivea Body Wash - Care & Orange - I think it's safe to say that this is my favorite body wash from the drug store! I am not sure how many of these I have gone through, but it has to be a lot. I don't think there is much else I can say about this one, I love it! Repurchase? As soon as I get through the 'stash'!

Bath & BodyWorks Foaming Hand Soap - This hand soap is my hand soap of choice and I have one at every sink in my house. The Frosted Coconut Snowball scent is a good one, not overly sweet. Repurchase? In one scent or another, but only when there is a special.

Equate Make-Up Remover Cleansing Cloths - I wasn't the hugest fan of these wipes. They did an ok job, just not the best. Repurchase? Probably not

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths - These cleansing cloths are nice and damp. I prefer my cleansing cloths to be fairly wet, I just find that they do a better job of removing makeup with less rubbing. Repurchase? These cloths are a maybe!

Joico Power Spray Fast-Dry Finishing Spray - This sample size lasted me forever! You only need a small amount to give some hold. I have always been a fan of Joico finishing products, I remember using Ice Mist when I would do updos for events, and the styles did not move at all! Repurchase? Maybe!

The Body SHop Shea Body Butter - I really like the Body Shop Body Butter, especially in winter when my skin is drier. I just wish it wasn't in a pot! The Shea scent is one of my favorites, it is not as thick as some of the others. Repurchase? Possibly next winter.

The Body Shop Vanilla Chia Body Butter - I loved the scent of Vanilla Chai. It smells like a Vanilla Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks! A little sweet with some spice. This is also one of the thinner body butters from the Body Shop, which always are favorites for me. Repurchase? If they have it again next year!

Lise Watier Hydraforce - This face cream had a light scent which I didn't mind. I did find that it took quite some time to sink in though, over 15 min. So this wasn't a face cream I could put on and go straight to bed. I did find that my face felt moisturized when I woke up though, so it definitely did its job well. Great moisturizer for the drier months, as long as you have the time to let it sink in before going to bed. Repurchase? I am still on the fence about this one, I am still looking for a great winter time moisturizer.

Clinique Take The Day off Makeup Remover for Lids, Lashes & Lips - I have come to the conclusion that I do like a Dual phase makeup removers for my eyes! They just seem to be able to easily get everything off with less tugging, which when you have gone past age 40 is an important thing! The less tugging in that area the better. Repurchase? Possibly, still like trying different ones!

Clinique take the day off micellar cleansing towelettes for face & eyes - These cloths were horrible! So dry, i actually wet them with water... They were also the tiniest face wipes I have ever used, I needed to use 2 to get the makeup off! Repurchase? NO!

Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil - I enjoyed using the Argan Oil at night after washing my face. I was worried that it would make my face feel more oily but it didn't, just nicely moisturized. This deluxe sample lasted me forever as well. I used a couple drops and it was enough for my face and neck area. Repurchase? I am wanting to try argan oil form the health store to see if there is any difference.

benefit It's Potent Eye Cream - This is another deluxe sample that lasted me forever! A little goes quite a long way. I used this mainly at night as it was just a little to moisturizing for day use, my concealer would crease when I tried to use it during the day. If only it came in a tube instead of a jar...Repurchase? Not likely, I am still on the hunt for a great eye cream that I don't have to stick my fingers into!

dr Brandt Microdermabrasion - I took out this sample size to use since I didn't want to se the full size I received in my Boxycharm if i didn't like it! I have to say I did like it, not as much as Exfolikate though! It is a bit grittier than Exfolikate. I think it will be great to use in the warmer months when my face may be feeling like it needs a bit deeper clean. Repurchase? I have a full size plus another deluxe waiting in the wings!

Neat & Easy Deep Cleansing Rose Nose Strips - I have fallen off the wagon using these again, I only managed to remember to use 1 last month. I pick these up at Dollarama and do like them, they do as good a job I find as the Biore ones, but for a lot less money! Repurchase? Always

Bath & BodyWorks PocketBac - The scent 'Energy' is a refreshing orange scent which I liked. I alwasy have one of these in my purse t all times, especially during the winter months. Repurchase? Always, on sale, ;)!

The Body Shope Pomegranate Firming & Refreshing Eye Roll-On - I think I picked this up a couple years ago and promptly forgot about it, oops. I am out of day eye cream and have been pulling out ones from my stash to try out. I am not a fan of this eye cream at all, it was way to drying for me. My under eyes looked dry and crepy by lunch time whenever I used this. I will be passing this on to my daughter, hopefully it will be better for her younger eyes! Repurchase? NO!

Clarisonic Radiance Brush Head - I can't remember when I last changed the head on my Clarisonic! I have been trying out the mini Foreo that I got in the Fall Sephora Favorites set and went to use this and noticed that the bristle were starting to come out! I promptly placed n order for a duo pack of these! Repurchae? As long as I use the Clarisonic!

Makeup Trash for March 2017.

I managed to use up a few makeup products!

benefit Roller Lash - I love deluxe sizes of mascara! I never seem to be able to go trough a full size mascara in the time frame that you are supposed to use and toss, and toss something that isn't finished is hard for me! I really like the Roller Lash and it is one that I may actually pick up full size! Repurchase? High on the list.

Mac Fling Eye Brow Pencil - I have been using this eye brow pencil off and one since I first had it used me when my sister and I went to the Mac counter to get our makeup done for her wedding, 5 years ago! Fling is the perfect shade for me and I love how it goes on. Repurchase? I usually have one of these in my drawer.

Smashbox Always Sharp Waterproof Kohl Liner - I got this liner in a Sephora Favorites set, Bronze Bares All. I really enjoyed using this one, it stayed put all day long! I also liked that it had a sharp tip every time I opened it. Repurchase? Highly likely!

YSL Mascara Volume Effect Faux Cils - I had high hopes for this mascara, sadly it let me down. It made my lashes look great wehn I applied it but promptly smudged onto my under eyes within an hour and continued to do so throughout the day. I kept trying it out every week for a month with the same results each time. Repurchase? Absolutely not.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance - This is another deluxe/travel size sample that lasted forever! I liked this eye primer, but I still had to use my Mac paint pot over top of it so I didn't get creasing. But that is nothing new, I still haven't found an eye primer where I don't have to use the paint pot as well. Repurchae? Maybe, I am stilll on the hunt for a primer that I can use alone!

Home Fragrance Trash for March 2017.

As you can tell, I didn't burn many candles last month!

Bath & BodyWorks Wallflower - I didn't mind the 'Twisted Peppermint' scent, it wasn't overly sweet, but I would have liked a bit more mint to it. Repurchase? Maybe?

Yankee Candle votive - I love the size of votive candles the best, I don't have time to get sick of the scent! The Windblown scent is one that I like to burn anytime of the year, its nice fresh scent that I haven't gotten tired of yet. Repurchase? I already have!

Yankee Candle Car Vent - I really like the 'Catching Rays' scent. It is a very fresh scent that isn't overpowering at all. It smelled great in my car over the winter months when it is a little frowned upon to drive with the windows open to far! Repurchase? I already have another scent in my car now.

Sample Trash for March 2017.

I once again have been trying to make a conscious effort to use up some of my samples! This seems to be going quite well!

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment - I pulled out the sample card I had of these as I had a month thing going on and didn't want to contaminate my full size products! This was the original, no color one, I like this but not sure I like it enough to pay the full price for them! Purchase? Maybe in a value set?

benefit the POREfessional - Thought I would pull out this sample and try it again as I had forgotten what I thought about it. I believe my thoughts were that I wasn't a huge fan! Purchase? No

Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation - I wanted to try this out and finally remembered to pull it out! THis is one serious full coverage foundation! It gave me a completely flat blank canvas, nothing poking though. I was surprised that I didn't feel this all day on my face, I did start to feel it towards the end of the day (after 8 hours). Purchase? Maybe?

Lancôme Visionnaire (1 Minute Blur) - This was just ok, not my favorite but definitely not the worst I have tried! It does have a slight scent, but that quickly goes away. Purchase? Maybe.

Kat Von D Lock-It Featherweight Primer x2 - I had been reading a little about this primer lately and remembered that I had a few samples of it so I decided to try it out. I was surprised at how light this felt on my skin. I was expecting to feel this and for it to be thicker, it was fairly thin, almost like a lotion. I found that it did help my makeup last. Purchase? On my list for when I get through some more stuff!

Guerlain Lingerie De Peau Invisible Skin-Fusion Foundation - I didn't want to like this....But I really did. It is a very lightweight foundation that felt so great on my face! It does have the characteristic Guerlain scent, so if you don't like scents you probably wont like this one. This lasted all day for me to, which I wasn't expecting. It also layered well to cover up a few dark spots I have. Purchase? I want to but I don't want to!

Farmacy Eye Dew total eye cream - I really liked this eye cream, a little goes a long way. But sadly it also comes in a pot. Purchase? If it comes in a tube!

bliss fabulous makeup melt - Tried this and i like it better than oil cleansers! This came out as a gel and than thinned right out once I started rubbing it in. Purchase? Maybe.

PTR Irish Moor Mud Cleansing Gel - This was alright I guess, nothing spectacular. It didn't make my face feel tight which is always a good thing. Purchase? Maybe?

Kate Somerville Exfolikate - I had to use up a sample to compare it to the dr Brandt! Love this stuff! Purchase? I already have.

Still working on the Stash of Fragrance samples! Of the 4 here I liked 2, Elizabeth and James Nirvana Rose and Viktor & Rolf Bonbon, one sweet and one spicy. roberto cavalli and Invictus were to 'manly' and strong for me.

Total of products used up for 2017 -

Face and Body care - 12 (30)

Deluxe/Travel Size - 8 (12)

Home Fragrance - 3 (10)

Makeup - 2 (6)

Tools - 1 (2)

Samples - 15 (32)

I am quite happy with the amount of product I was able to use up during the month of March! I found a couple of products that I am definitely interested in picking up full sizes of and a few that I will always use up. Did you use up anything good or disappointing last month? Any surprises?

My March BoxyCharm came in I believe on the 9th? I was surprised at how quickly it showed up, they have been coming in earlier lately but that one was the earliest yet. The theme for March was 'Creepy Cute', not sure what that has to do with the month of March but it is different. In the March 'Creepy Cute' box I ended up getting 3 full size products, a travel size product as well as a my favorite thing, a brush!

The March 'Creepy Cute' BoxyCharm contents.

All the bright and bold shades in the March 'Creepy Cute' BoxyCharm. Not bad for the $35.00ish CAD price tag.

First up, I believe everyone received the Naked Cosmetics Urban Rustic Palette with a retail price of $39.99 USD. I think that price is a little inflated! I am not sure it would be worth quite that much.

From BoxyCharm - These colors offer a dramatic look when applied damp or with as eye base. The colors have hints of green, bronze, purple, and brown. #BoxyTip: Apply shadow to your lids to give your eyes a beautifully pigmented shimmer. For more pigment, lightly wet your brush for an even more intense

These shadows are VERY pigmented! I love the colors but will need to pull in more shadows from other palettes.

Next we have the SS023 Deluxe Fan Brush from Crown Brush with a retail price of $18.99 USD.

From BoxyCharm - This Fan Brush features a large, fanned brushhead perfect for the soft application of powder products. This brush is also great for dusting shimmer products onto skin. #BoxyTip: Gently dip brush across your favorite highlighters or powder, and dust across your cheekbones for beautiful, glowy effect. Brush can also be used to buff our powders and bronzers.

This brush is so soft! I was surprised to get a fan brush this month as it doesn't really go with any of the products we received. But I love getting brushes!

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, travel size.

Everyone also received the travel size of the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer with a value of $16.00 USD. This is one of the products where buying the travel size is actually a better value than getting the full size.

From BoxyCharm - This primer is the first product that was ever created at Smashbox photo studios L.A. It instantly blurs fine lines and pores, leaving skin with a velvety-smooth, even finish. THis classic Smashbox primer is the best way to start your makeup every day. #BoxyTip: Using fingertips, apply a dime sized amount before makeup application.

Is it just me, or does using a dime sized amount of product seem like a lot?! I know I have received samples of this primer before, but for the life of me, I can't remember what i thought about it! Getting old sucks! Good thing I am using an app now to keep track of my thoughts on products as I try them out!

I believe we all received this product as well, just different shades? Lipliner by RealHer in the shade I Am Loved retails for $12.50 USD.

From BoxyCharm - A creamy lip liner that glides across lips to define your pout. #BoxyTip: Exfoliate and hydrate lips prior to use for best application. Outline lips with liner before applying favorite lipstick for a locked in look.

This shade is a little out of my comfort zone of pale neutrals! It is a beautiful burgundy shade though.

And lastly, the Matte Liquid Lipstick by RealHer in I Am A Rockstar, retails for $15.00 USD.

From BoxyCharm - Lightweight formula glides onto lips leaving super intense color with a bold, ultra-matte finish. Long wearing, and completely kiss proof, this bomb formulation helps to combat dryness and nourish your lips during wear. #BoxyTip: After application, while still wet, resist urge to press lips together like conventional lipsticks. This will allow for long-lasting look. Avoid oily foods.

The shade I Am A Rockstar perfectly matches the I Am Loved lipliner! Again though, WAY out of my comfort zone! I am interested in trying this out though, the price seems fair to me if they perform well.

All in all, not a bad box this month! Even though I am not sure what the theme, 'Creepy Cute', has to do with March! I'll take it as I am hopeful that the products in the box are going to be good! The retail value of this months box is $102.48, on the lower end of the scale so far. But still a high value!

My thought on the products from the February 'Would You Be My Galentine?' Box are -

OMNIA Eye Kit- I found that the 'Shader Brush' was fairly large for it's intended purpose of placing shadow on the lid and instead have found it is great for applying a light crease shade and blending it out. I haven't used the smudger brush yet as I rarely, if ever, b]put shadow on my lower lash line. I will have to see if I can find another use for it. Worth $29.99? Not for me as I have only used the one brush, more like $10.

2 Eyeshadow pans from Makeup Geek- Of the 2 shades I received I have worn 'Prom Night' quite a few times on days when I wanted a fairly simple look and did a one shadow eye on those days! I loved it for that. I have only used the shade 'Cherry Cola' once, man is it pigmented! For me this is more of a an evening shade. Worth $12.00? Definitely!

The Reflecting Gloss by juice Beauty- The shade 'Fig' is a beautiful neutral shade! This gloss is not a sticky gloss, which I was quite happy about. I am not a fan of gloss, especially when it's sticky. I found that when I wore this is wore ok? It did not last that long on me, no where near the length of other lip products, but that is the nature of gloss, isn't it? I would be interesting in trying out a shade that didn't have shimmer in it, I found that when the gloss wore off there was still shimmer on my lips.

Microdermabrasion by Dr Brandt- I have used this exfoliator in the past and enjoyed it. It is a little more abrasive than Ekfolikate but I still like it. I am not sure how people with sensitive skin would be able to handle this one. I like how clean it makes my skin feel and will happily rotate this in my skincare routine. Worth $79.00 USD? I think if your skin can handle the exfoliation of this one it is a good option.

Small Z Palette by Z Palette- I really like the smaller size of this palette, its great for single shadows. You could make up a small palette to take on a trip and be able to have all the shades you would need without taking up a lot of space. Worth $14.00 USD? I am think that $14.00 is a fair price for the size of this palette as someone who goes on short trips would be able to easily take along their favorite shades in a compact case that is sturdy.

So there you have a quick look at what I received in my March 'Creepy Cute' Box as well as my thoughts on the February "Would You Be My Galentine?' box. I am still happy with BoxyCharm and think they are well worth the price.

I hope that you are enjoying me revisiting my previous months box and getting to see my thoughts on the products I received. It does make for quite a long post! Sorry for the wall of text.

The theme for the February BoxyCharm was 'Would You Be My Galentine?', which I thought was very fitting for February! I was excited about most of the contents of the box! But I also find that is true of most of the BoxyCharm boxes! They rarely disapoint me! This month I received eyeshadow, brushes, gloss, brushes!, and a z-palette. Not bad for the $35ish CAD price tag.

The goodies inside the February 2017 BoxyCharm.

I have been starting to get my BoxyCharm in closer towards the beginning of the month lately which is really nice!

Dr Brandt Microdermabrasion.

First up everyone received a Full Size Dr Brandt Microdermabrasion! This retails for $79.oo USD! That alone makes this box worth it!

From BoxyCharm - The original skin exfoliating procedure. #BoxyTip: Dampen Skin with warm water and gently massage cream onto skin for 1-2 minutes avoiding the eye area. Rinse well, pat dry. Best if used 1-2 times per week allowing 3 days between applications.

I have used this exfoliator before and liked it. Now I can try it out against the Kate Somerville Exfolikate and see which one I like better.

Next is the Small Z Palette, this retails for $14.oo USD. I think Z Palette is a tad overpriced for what it is.

From BoxyCharm - Completely customizable, this Small Z Palette, made exclusively for BOXYCHARM, features as open-faced, magnetic base thats allows you to easily switch out shades and products as often as you like! THis pint-sized Z Palette will fit just about anywhere and fits up to 9 standard-sized round pans. #BoxyTip: Use this professional magnetic palette from Z Palette to store all of your favorite eyeshadow pans!

I personally, even before all the drama with Z Palette, would prefer to pick up the Make Up FOr Ever Magnetic palette, if of course, I could ever catch it in stock. The MUFE palette is metal and just seems so much sturdier.

From BoxyCharm - A highly-pigmented, high-end shadow for half the price without sacrificing quality. THis Makeup Geek eyeshadow can be used alone or placed in a Z Palette to build your own custom palette. These buttery, smooth shadows are cruelty-free! #BoxyTip: Blend out these smooth, buttery shades with your favorite eye brushes! Mix and match the colors to create a look that's perfect for night or day.

I love that BoxyCharm has been sending out Makeup Geek products! It makes trying them out so much easier for us Canadians. I received the shades 'Prom Queen' and 'Cherry Cola'. Prom Queen is a beautiful purple toned taupe and Cherry Cola is a deep brown shade with red undertones.

The Reflecting Gloss by Juice Beauty retail of $15.00 USD.

From BoxyCharm - Shimmer your lips in brilliant color with this Reflecting Gloss that contains a blend of organic antioxidant-rich acai & goji berries, minerals and sweet agave for the most brilliant shine on Earth. #BoxyTip: Glide across bare lips or over Conditioning Lip for an instant kiss of color. Perfect for everyday wear!

I am not a huge fan of Lip gloss, I find that they tend to be sticky and not last very long. I received the shade 'Fig', which is a nice neutral shade. I am glad to have gotten a shade that I can actually feel comfortable wearing! I wish subscription boxes would send out more neutral shades when they send out lip products.

Lastly we have the OMNIA Eye Kit by Royal & Langnickel with a retail price of $29.98.

From BoxyCharm - OMNIA GOld & ROse Gold Brushes were developed with the natural hair purist in mind and features meticulously selected natural hair of the finest quality for impeccable performance. This luxurious hair allows the artist to precisely deposit powder product to specific areas of the face, and allows for the perfect absorbency and release for every application whether powder, liquid or cream product. #BoxyTip: Use your BOM-40 Shader Brush to sweep the shadow across the eyelid and blend with ease.

I love getting brushes in my sub boxes! I have found some really great ones, as well as some not so great. Even the not so great brushes, I find you can still find a way to use them. This brush set wasn't even released when I received my box, I love that we got to try out something that was brand new to the market.

THe February 'Would You Be My Galentine?' box had a retail value of $149.98 USD. Thats crazy! The Dr Brandt really upped the value of this box.

Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo - Has a fairly strong lemon scent, which I found to be a little weird for a dry shampoo! It did do a fairly decent job on my hair with no white cast! Would I pay $23.00 USD for it? No, I have other dry shampoos I like better.

Vintage Highligther Double - I was not expecting to like this highlighter much as the first one we received from this brand I found to be chunky and not that smooth. I am happy to say that I have been using the Rose Quartz shade almost everyday since I got it! This Highlighter Double has a great smooth buttery texture that does not have any chunks of glitter in it! Would I pay $35.00 USD for it? Probably because it is as soft and blendable as my other highlighters and I have been getting a lot of use out of it.

PUR Mineral Glow Bronzer - I am also happy to say that the 'shine' I saw in the pan of this bronzer did not transfer to my face. I have also been using this bronzer most days as well. It gives some nice warmth to my face that it has been lacking during the long cooler months. Would I pay $25.00 USD for it? Yes, this bronzer blends like a dream and is a great shade my lighter skintone.

Crown Dix Soft Fan Brush SS017 - As I said I didn't have high hopes for this fan brush either, it seemed so skinny and floppy! But it picks up just the right amount of product from the Vintage Highlighter! They were perfect to send out together. I have been using this everyday as well with the Vintage. Would I pay $12.99 USD for it? No, I don't think this brush is worth that price but I would pay closer to $6 for it!

Purlisse Daily Lip Nourisher - I haven't even tried this Lip Balm out yet. I have to many open at the moment and don't want to open another. Would I pay $16.00 USD for it? It will have to be a REALLY great lip balm for me to spend that much on one.

I think I got my moneys worth out of the January BoxyCharm, I regularly use 3 of the 5 products, and haven't tried out the fifth yet. Who knows maybe I will really like it as well!

I hope you enjoyed reading about what I got in my February BoxyCharm as well as my thoughts on the products from the January box. I think that after a month of having used the products I have a pretty good idea on my thoughts about them.

I thought it best to get to my BoxyCharm boxes sooner rather than later, I received my March box yesterday!

Today we have the January 2017 BoxyCharm! The theme for the January BoxyCharm was 'And The Charm Award Goes To...', I guess as award season was coming up? I have been receiving my box near the middle of the month lately which is a welcome change! I happily found a few products from this box which I have been using almost daily since I got them. I even used the coupon code from this box to place an order from PUR.

January 2017 'And The Charm Award Goes To...' BoxyCharm.

In my January BoxyCharm I received -

January 2017 'And The Charm Award Goes To...' BoxyCharm contents.

In my January 'And The Charm Award Goes To...' box I received a dry shampoo, brush, bronzer, duo highlighter, and a lip balm!

Oscar Blandi - Pronto Dry Shampoo.

First up we have the Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo ($23.00 USD)- Pronto Dry Shampoo is the ultimate time saver - in a spray version. It refreshes, revives, and rejuvenates the hair in a matter of minutes - no water or blow-dryer required. I use dry shampoo at least once a week if not more, so I was happy to get to try a new brand!

Vintage - Highlighter Double - Chocolate Diamond & Rose Quartz.

Vintage - Highlighter Double - Chocolate Diamond & Rose Quartz ($35.00 USD)- Add a beautiful wash of color and subtle, sexy shimmer with this limited edition illuminating face highlighter set. This is the second Highlighter we have received from BoxyCharm from Vintage. I was not the biggest fan of the previous one but am hoping this one is a little different, not so chunky.

PUR - Mineral Glow Bronzer.

PÜR - Mineral Glow Bronzer ($25.00 USD)- Mineral Glow's micronized mineral powder has rich, golden undertones to add a sun-kissed contour to your complexion. I was not a fan of this when I first opened it up, it seemed to have quite a bit of shine in the pan, not to mention it looked a tad warm. I haven't tried much from PUR so I was still interested in trying this out.

Crown - Soft Fan Brush SS017.

Crown - Crown Dix. Soft Fan Brush - SS017 ($12.99 USD)- A soft fan brush designed for light powder applications for all over the face as well as along the neck and décolleté. I was not to impressed with this fan brush when I first saw it. It looks so skinny, not very fluffy at all! I did not think it would pick up much product at all.

Purlisse - Daily Lip Nourisher.

Purlisse - Daily Lip Nourisher ($16.00 USD)- This advanced treatment lip nourisher enriched with Mango & Shea Butters, Jojoba & Rice Bran Oils and Vitamin E richly hydrates and seals in moisture. Another lip balm! I have such a huge back log of lip balms that I know I won't be able to get to this to soon! But it never hurts to have a few extra, they seem to go missing all the time.

BoxyCharm gives you 'Boxy Tips' for each product they send you on the same card that gives you information on the products. I think it's a great idea to give you an idea of what you can use the product for, maybe they have different ideas! Would it be interesting to you to see those as well?

The January 'And The Charm Award Goes To...' BoxyCharm comes in at a value of $111.99 USD!! Not to bad for a $26.oo USD investment. BoxyCharm is $21.00 USD a month plus a $5.00 USD shipping charge for Canadians. It has been coming to under $35.00 CAD with the way the Canadian dollar is lately. I have never felt that BoxyCharm was not worth the price, which I was starting to find with other subscription boxes.

I thought before I got to the Boxy Charm boxes I would get up my Trip Through My Trash for February. Almost on time! It is so satisfying to get rid of the trash at the end of the month! I am hoping to get up the Boxy Charms shortly, I am expecting another one in soon!

I am slowly making my way through some of the half empty bottles of product that have been cluttering up under my skin in the bathroom. I won't be picking up anything new in quite a few categories (shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, body scrub, etc!) until I get through these!

February 2017 Face & Body care Trash.

It looks like I used a lot of shampoo and conditioner last month, but they were almost empty!

TRESemme Expert Beauty-Full Volume Shampoo & Conditioner - Now this is how shampoo and conditioner should always come! When the shampoo and conditioner are the same size bottle I always end up with shampoo still left after the conditioner is gone! Not with this set. Also I love it when they come with a pump! This was also the one were you used the conditioner first and shampoo second, it worked really well. I had more body and my hair did not feel heavy at all, it also wasn't frizzy which is what I thought would happen. I have tried doing this with other shampoo and conditioners and it generally works the same way. Maybe it's a better way to wash my hair?! Repurchase? Maybe

Fluffs Cotton Pads - In most empties! What can I say, they are cheap and they work....Repurchase? Always

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths - I still have quite a few packs of these left....I have used them for my face, they are alright. I do like that they are textured, the texture seems to help get makeup off to me. Repurchase? I still have quite a few packs, we will see.

Marc Anthony bye.bye Frizz Keratin Smoothing Shampoo & Conditioner - I am not even sure how long I have had this set....I think I bought it when I did a Keratin Straightening treatment on my hair a few years ago.... They had a nice scent, not overpowering and not floral! They did a good job of getting my hair clean and not weighting it down. Repurchase? I'm not even sure I can?

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion + - I have been using this moisturizer for quite a few years and have gone through quite a few bottles. During the winter it is able to keep my face moisturized enough and isn't to heavy for the summer. For me it is just a great all around moistuizer! Repurchae? Always

Bath & BodyWorks Mahogany Teak Wood Foaming Hand Soap - There is usually at least one of these hand soaps in my empties in some scent or other! Mahogany Teak Wood was a nice scent, not to masculaine just the right mix! Repurchae? In one scent or another!

Olay Eyes Depuffing Eye Roller - This was a nice morning eye cream, or at least thats what I used it for! It was just enough moisture that my concealer didn't crease nor did it go crepey! I found that the cooling roller balls really only stayed cool for one eye though. I didn't notice a lot of depuffing, I think because it didn't stay cool. Repurchase? Maybe?

The Body Shop Wild Argan Oil Body Lotion - I kept this at my desk t work and it worked great as a hand cream. It didn't stay greasy and you could actually feel it soaking in, especially after using hospital hand sanitizer... Repurchase? As soon as I get rid of some of the backlog...or maybe sooner, especially since I can use it at work!

Sadly I need to toss a brush, Makeup Trash.

I used up 2 deluxe size samples of primers in February! And sadly, a brush.

Hourglass Veil Primer - I have used up another deluxe size sample of the Hourglass Veil primer. And while I like it, it is fairly moisturizing, I have decided after this sample that it isn't my favorite. I think it would be great if you have dry skin, but for combo/oily its not the best. Repurchase? Not right now, maybe if my skin went back to dry.

Hourglass Ambient Light Correcting Primer Mood Light - Could this primer have any longer of a name?! This primer I did really enjoy! I found it gave a really nice glow to the skin, especially under more matte finish foundations. My skin looked glowy, not oily whenever I used this. I looked it up on the Sephora site and it is $52.00 CAD for 1oz. A little on the pricer side but I did really enjoy it. Repurchase? Maybe, when I use up some of what I have already!

Real Techniques Domed Shadow Brush - I have had this brush for a few years now and it was my favorite for applying cream shadow. I used this everyday to apply my Mac paint pot. It has started to shed really badly and the bristles actually come right out of the ferrule. Repurchase? Maybe if I can get it singly.

What my house smelled like in February.

As you can see by the picture 1 candle is barely burned and one still has a lot of wax left in the jar. Not the best month for candles!

Yankee Candle - Honey Clementine - I really like the scent of this candle but I have figured out that every time I burned this candle I was having really bad headaches, to the point I was laying down to try to get rid of them. So sadly, I won't be burning this anymore and instead will see if my sister or a friend wants it. Repurchase? Not in this scent.

Yankee Candle Line-Dried Cotton - If you like the smell of fresh out of the dryer clothes, this is the candle for you! It smells just like fresh washed laundry, a nice clean, fresh scent. Repurchase? Maybe.

The Body Shop Vanilla Chai Candle - I love the scent of this candle. It is a little sweet and a little spicy, just perfect! It smells like a Chai latte with a shot of vanilla, yummy! I am not sure why it ended up burning so weirdly though. There is still a lot of wax in the jar but the wick is done. Repurchase? I might try another candle, but I definitely wouldn't pay full price for one.

A very small Sample Trash.

A basically forgot about using samples last month! I was to busy trying to use up half empty full size products! Of course I used up a Kate Somerville Exfolikate, love this! I tried out the Tata harper Regenerating Cleanser, it was ok, I would need to use it a few more times to decide if I would buy it though. The bliss fabulous makeup melt did a great job of removing my makeup and I liked the thicker consistency of it. I may pick this up once I get through some more of my backlog...

So I didn't quite get caught up in February! But I am closer! Two BoxyCharms and I am all caught up. Luckily I had taken all the pictures as I was going along!

For January I managed to use up quite a few products. I did a bit of reorganizing and found that I had quite a few products that were half empty/close to being empty and have decided that I really need to use up some of this stuff and get rid of it. A few things I am sure I will realize just why they got shoved to the back! There are a few things that I am sad to see gone but it is so satisfying to have competely used things up. Do you feel like that to? It also means that there will be more room for trying new things out!

Some Face and Body Care trash.

I was close to finishing quite a few products as you can see! I managed to finish up quite a bit.

Elizabeth Arden Hydra-Splash Toner - This toner was ok, nothing spectacular. I was able to pick a duo pack of this up at Costco for under $20 CAD. This was the second bottle of the toner. Repurchase? Maybe?

Clarins Exfoliating Body Scrub - I received this scrub in my Elle Canada Beauty Grand Prix box to try out and it was my second favorite one! This scrub has a nice amount of grit to it, not to much and not to little. My skin didn't feel dry at all after using this, just nice and smooth. Repurchase? Maybe, I do have quite a few other scrubs to get through before I need to buy one though. The $45.00 CAD price tag is a little high though.

Bath & BodyWorks Ultra Shea Body Cream - In January I used up the Snowflakes & Cashmere scent. I liked this scent, not to strong. It was a little on the sweeter side but not sickly sweet. Repurchase? Always, this is my body lotion of choice for now.

Kirkland Signature Daily Facial Towelettes - These face wipes are always in my empties! I pick them up at Costco for $15.00ish CAD for 150 wipes. Repurchase? I already have.

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths - I am not sure where these came from but I used them up! I used these mostly for swatches as the package was small. They worked well, no complaints! Repurchase? Maybe

Sephora Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover - I like this eye makeup remover, it gets everything off without leaving a greasy film. Nor does it sting my eyes. I have used a full size of this in the past. Repurchase? Probably

Vichy Purete Thermale 3 in 1 Micellar solution - I picked up this micellar water to try out after I had run out of makeup remover. It was ok, didn't leave a film on my face but it did sting my eyes if I happened to get it to close. Repurchase? No

Bath & BodyWorks Foaming Hand Soap - And yet another product that we use up quite regularly! Last month we used up the scent Sparkling Mint Blossom which was again a nice light, fresh scent. Repurchase? Always!

Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Control Foaming Face Wash - I had originally picked this up hoping my son would use it, but it just sat there so I decided to put it in the shower and used it up in the morning. I didn't find this face wash, it left my face feeling clean but not stripped. Repurchase? Maybe?

OMG! I finished full sizes of makeup!

I am so happy to have used up some full sized make up products! I never thought I would finish up some of these!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Makeup - I finished a foundation!!!! It took me quite a while to finally pick up this foundation as I had thought it would look cake-y and heavy. Boy was I wrong! I love this stuff and have already repurchased it! I don't find this to be a full coverage foundation at all, more like medium. It covers what I need it to, slight redness broken capillaries, but I can still see my moles/freckles. I am sure if you layered it you can get more of a fuller coverage but I like the medium that I get. Repurchase? Already have!

Covergirl So Lashy! Blast Pro Mascara - I think I got this from Bzzzagent with a liquid liner... I wasn't so impressed with the mascara, it tended to smudge fairly quickly on me, within a few hours. And the wand, I have no clue what they were thinking when they designed the wand! It has a huge ball on the end which made it really hard to apply, if I tried to use the middle of the wand the ball would get mascara on my face so I ended up using the ball to put the mascara on. That took awhile! Repurchase? Definitely not.

Hourglass ambient Lighting Palette - This may have been a pricier purchase but it was well worth it! I used the first shade, Dim Light as a setting powder and towards the end of the palette mixed it with the last shade, Radiant Light and it just gave a nice glow to my skin. I used the middle shade, Incandescent Light as a highlight and it was great, not sparkly at all! Repurchase? I might yet!

Burt's Bees Lip Balm - I used up a lip balm! I love the Vanilla Bean scent/flavor, it is nice and smooth going on, unlike the regular Burt's Bees balm. This balm feels great mid day when your lips are starting to feel a tad dry from wearing to many liquid lipsticks! Repurchase? I already have.

Essence Make Me Brow - I think I have found my brow gel of choice! I like this better than the Benefit Gimme Brow. I find this to have not quite as thick consistency as Benefits. The shade, 01 Blondy brows, is fairly close to the Gimme Brow, 01 Light, as well. Repurchase? Already have.

Pür Cosmetics Correcting Primer - I picked up this travel size in a set of 4 primers during a Shopper's Bonus Redeemption last year, I think? This was a light moisturizing primer, similar to Macs Prep and Prime Skin Base. There isn't much difference in price either, Pur is $36 CAD and Mac is $38 CAD. I have another sample of the Mac so maybe using that one will help me decide which I like better. I am not sure which one i will end up picking up! Repurchase? Maybe.

What my house smelled like in Janruary.

I ended up burning larger candles in January, more so than votives.

Yankee Candle Summer Storm - I loved this scent, it was so fresh and yet comforting at the same time. The scent filled the room that I was burning it in as well as into the next! Repurchase? Hopefully!

Bath & BodyWorks Wallflower - The scent Fresh Sparkling Snow is one of my favorites for wintertime! So fresh and yet with a hint of sweetness. Repurchase? Hopefully next season!

Yankee Candle Alpine Martini - I really did not enjoy this scent at all. I am not the biggest fan of fake apple scents, I don't know why I can never get a good apple scented candle! Have you been able to get a good one? Repurchase? No

Charmed Aroma Coconut Vanilla - I loved the scent of this! Charmed Aroma candles are like Kinder Eggs for big kids! I am planning on doing a review of them soon so I won't say much about it, except they are great! Coconut Vanilla is a fresh scent with a hint of sweetness, perfect! Repurchase? Maybe

Still slowly working away on the Sample Stash.

I am still going to try to use up my Sample Stash, but I am not going to really push it. It started not being fun anymore. I will just add them on to my regular Trip Through My Trash posts. I did surprisingly end up using quite a few for the month of January though!

I picked up a sample of the Urban Decay Foundation in 3.5 to make sure that was the shade I needed after thinking 4.5 was the right one. I used up 3 samples of Kate Somerville Exfolikate, love it! The Brazilian Bum Bum Cream smells amazing but I didn't find it moisturized my skin any better than my usual. None of the other samples wowed me that much at all. 2 of the perfume vials i only ended up using a couple of times, they smelled horrible on me! So I am not going to subject me or anyone around me to the smell!

I thought I would start having a running tally of products that I use up over the course of the year so that I can see how much I am using! Just a little something to see how much I can get through. So here we go!

I may not have written much of anything on here in the past few months, but that definietly does not mean that I didn't shop! There was Imats, a Shopper's bonus redeemption, Black Friday, Christmas, Boxing Day.....You get the idea! I thought I would give you a quick peek at what I picked up and also an idea of what you can expect to see my thoughts on in the coming months...I really like to shop!

I guess I should start off with Imats as it was the first round of shopping that I did. At Imats I picked up -

Toronto Imats Haul, heavy on the KVD!

My Imats haul was heavy on the KVD purchases! They were so great at that booth. The line up was huge but the assistants came around and gave out deluxe minis a few times. I thought that was a great idea, it gives you a little something for standing in line! I received a deluxe mini of Studded Kiss in Lolita, 3 Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks in Exorcism, Nosferatu, and Berlin. Not bad for just waiting in line for 30-45 min! The prices were great as well, with a few bundle deals. I split one deal with a friend, she got the Shade Light Eye palette and eye brush and I got the Shade Light Contour palette and face brush. I think the bundle deal was about $120? We split the cost and each got what we wanted! The also had a couple lipstick bundles, of course I picked the nudes one! In the bundle I got Noble, Lovecraft, and Lolita, I paid $52 for the 3! not bad. I also picked up the KVD Lock-It Setting Powder for $38, which wasn't really a deal but it was something I was looking for! I wanted to get a Violet Voss palette but they were sold out by the time I got there at 11...so i picked up a liquid lip in the shade 'Muse'. I picked up the Royal and Langnickel brush set for my daughter for Christmas as she has been asking for a set of good brushes. I grabbed another BC430 crease brush while I was there. My sister and I split on some lashes as we both are wanting to give them a try and figured at $1 a pair it was worth trying out! I received the Clinique Take The Day Off wipes free as well as the Jordane Makeup Brush Cleanser.

Next up we have a few items that I picked up, a couple before the sale and a couple I am not sure of when...

Sephora Favorites-Glow For It and Trending:Beauty's Most Coveted. There were a few things in each set that I really wanted to try and so I picked them up before the sale. The Glow For It was sold out during the sale but the other was not. Oh well, you can't guess them all! I picked up a Mask Duo from The Body Shop to give them a try as well as the Vanilla Chai Apple set. I also received the larger Vanilla Chai set from Rakuten Affilate Network/The Body Shop for attending a video chat to learn more about The Body Shops Holiday sets.

Next we have the Fall Sephora VIB Sale -

The goodies I picked up during the Sephora Fall Vib Sale.

I actually did better than usual during the Fall VIB Sale, probably due to the fact that I had already picked up a few sets! I picked up the Tarte Skincare set 'Ready, set, glow', Sephora Favorites - Beauty Sleep, a Huda Beauty lip set, Beseame Brightening Setting Powders, and the Tarte Blush palette. All at a 20% discount!

Next we had Black Friday in Canada! I am not sure if the deals are better in the US, I have never been! I do like going to a few places here for Black Friday deals though. I only hit up The Body Shop, Yankee Candle and of course Sephora! I was quite happy with my purchases and what I paid for them.

A little Black Friday Shopping, Canada-side!

At The Body Shop I picked up the Vanilla Chai candle and Satsuma Body Butter. The deal was buy any 3 products for $33 and if you spent over $30 you could get the tote for $35 (I think thats what it was anyway!), my sister needed a foot scrub so she gave me $11 for it and there was my spend to get the tote which had Shea body butter, Almond hand cream, Chamomile makeup remover, Satsuma body wash, Drops Of Youth face mask, and a Cream Bath Lily plus the tote bag to carry it all in!

At Yankee they had a similar deal with x amount of spend you were able to purchase a tote for I think $30? Once again my sister and I split the purchase price cap, the small tumblers were on for $10. I picked up 'North Pole' and 'Candy Cane Lane'. In the tote I received a large jar candle in 'Berry Trifle', small tumbler in 'Magical Frosted Forest', votives in 'Alpine Martini' and 'All Is Bright', 'Balsam & Cedar' scented snowflakes, 'North Pole' car jar, a 'Snowflake Illuma-Lid jar topper, and of course a tote!

And lastly, Sephora! I picked up a few of the Black Friday deals including - Philosopy Purity, Sephora Collection Essential Rose Skin Trio, Nest Fragrance Trio, The Microdelivery Peel, Living Proof Style Duo, Tarte x2. When I was wondering in the store a bit I saw the Becca Blushed With Light Palette and it was on sale for $20.50, so of course it came home with me to!

The Saturday following Black Friday there happened to be a bonus redeemption weekend at Shoppers, so of course I went at it again! I was able to redeem twice at the top level, so $400 worth of stuff....

Shoppers Drug Mart Bonus Redeemption Haul.

I went in knowing quite a few things I wanted to pick up. I have wanted to pick up one of the Fragrance samplers since last year but they were always sold out when I went in during a redeemption weekend, not this time! I was running low on Estee Lauder DW (2W3) so I wanted to pick up a new one, as well I had recently retried the UD Naked Skin foundation and really liked it so I picked up another in 4.5 (than found out, thats my summer shade....oops). I had been missing the Smashbox Undereye Primer and wanted to grab a full size of that as well. My daughter needed a new mascara so I picked up the sampler set, cause you know, I NEEDED more sample size mascara! The Bioderma Duo pack and Marcelle Micellar water because I liked both and figured I might as well! I liked the Burts Bees in the Coconut scent and they had a duo with it and a pear one! And lastly Essie in 'comfy in cashmere'. To get myself up to the required amount for redeemption I also picked up quite a few snacks...all eaten now!

The few beauty type products I received at Christmas -

It was a running joke with my sister about my old slippers being more than ready for the garbage, so she picked me up a new pair plus a pair of fuzzy socks! I also got the Tarte Tartiest Pro eyeshadow palette and a Sephora gift card. I was having trouble with lighting for pictures so hubby let me pick out a set of lights! I am noticing a huge difference in pictures now!

I restrained myself during the Boxing Day sale as well! I had really liked the samples of Kate Sommervilles Exfolikate and when I saw they had the small size with a moisturizer for $15 CAD I quickly grabbed 2! I should have picked up a few more, the small size retails for $29 CAD... The tarte set contained 2 FULL SIZE products! Blush in Tipsy and Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Golden Pink. Tarte blushes are my favorite and I didn't have Tipsy. I picked up the Shiseido set to try out the lipstick formula and I already know I like Ultimune Eye! I picked up the Boscia set to try out the brand, and the Konjac sponge! All of these sets were $15 CAD each, such great deals.

A restrained Boxing Day Haul

There were a few good deals during boxinf week but I restrained myself and only picked up one other item.

Too Faced sweet Peach Palette in finally mine!

Too Faced was having a 40% sale!!! I managed to grab the Peach Palette for under $40CAD...at that price i couldn't say no! It did take quite some time to get to me, at least compared to Sephora, about 3 weeks.

Whew, so that's what I ended up picking up during the Fall sales! All together like this it's quite a bit of stuff! But it was mostly profucts I either knew I liked, ie repurchases, or products I was interested in trying out. Did you pick up any great deals before the new year? Anything you would like to see my thoughts on sooner rather that later? Let me know!

Another catch up post! I thought I would still give you a peek at what I received in my November and December 2016 BoxyCharm boxes even though it is now February! I figured it would still give you an idea of what you can expect to receive from BoxyCharm.

The 'theme' for November was 'Let Us Take You Down To Groovy Town' -

BoxyCharm November 2016 - Groovy Town!

I was initially excited by what I received in my November box, but sadly some of the products just weren't for me. In the November 'Groovy Town' box I received -

The contents of the November 'Groovy Town' BoxyCharm.

Studio Makeup Eyeshadow Palette - I was really looking forward to this palette as I loved the one I received in September. This one that I received for November was called 'Cool Down' and is mostly cool toned shades. I prefer warm shades on myself. The pigmentation and lasting power are great on these shadows though. $49.95 USD

Crown Brush C513 Pro Detail Crease - I am not sure where they get the idea that this is a crease brush! For me it is far to small for that. I like using it to smudge out liner, it works great for that. I liked the added touch of the little groove in the handle, it made control so much easier. $12.99 USD

Makeup Geek Blush - I love that I am getting MUG in my BoxyCharm! I received the shade 'Main Squeeze' which is described as a 'muted coral with a matte finish'. I love matte blushes as than i can control how much shimmer there is with my highlighter. The blush lasts all day without my face eating them up. $10.00 USD

Vintage Illuminating Face Highlighter - I received the shade 'Rose Gold'. It looks beautiful in the pan but I found it to be a bit to chunky for my cheeks for my liking. It does however make a great eyeshadow! $32.00 USD

SKYN Iceland Icelandic Relief Eye pen - I haven't used this as of yet..But I will soon! $20.00 USD

All in all not a bad box, just a few things that i had to find different uses for them to work for me. The November box had a value of $124.94 USD, not bad considering I paid around $35.00 CAD!

The theme for the December BoxyCharm was 'Makeup On Pointe -

BoxyCharm December 2016 - Makeup On Pointe.

I was surprised to see another full size palette in the December BoxyCharm, this one seemed like it would be a great dupe for the Urban Decay Naked 3. In the December 'Makeup On Pointe' box I recieived -

The contents of the December 'Makeup On Pointe' BoxyCharm.

Pure Cosmetics Eyeshadow palette - This palette reminds me so much of the Naked 3 by Urban Decay. The shades aren't exact dupes but the tones are so close. The pigmentation is ok, not as good as Urban Decay but still not bad. I wouldn't personally pay $50 USD for this palette, I would just get the Urban Decay for that price, if the palette was around the $30 USD mark it would be more than worth that. $50.00 USD

Purlisse Pur-Eye Adore Serum - Another eye cream, is BoxyCharm trying to tell me something?! I haven't tried this one out yet either...I really do need to get on that.. $65.00 USD

IBY Beauty Lip Liner - I received this lip liner in the shade 'Lovely' which is a nice pink/mauve shade. I have used this under a few pale nude shades and ended up with a nice mauvey type shade! It lasted fairly well, about 5 hours, until I ate lunch. The liner is nice and creamy and I would consider purchasing more of them if they were $14 CAD! $14.00 USD

OFRA Metallic Liquid Lipstick - I received the shade 'Napa Valley', I think everyone did! This shade is just to far out of m comfort zone, I didn't even try it! I do have another OFRA Liquid Lip in the shade 'Pasadena' and I really like it. They aren't to drying and last forever! I wish OFRA was easier to get in Canada. $19.90 USD

Model Co. Shimmer Bronzer - This is a very warm toned bronzer that has quite a bit of shimmer in it, hence the name 'Shimmer Bronzer'! I think I will get more use out of this as the weather gets warmer, I am not a huge fan of using bronzer with shimmer in it, I much prefer to be able to control the amount of shimmer I put on my face. $$24.00 USD

Not the best box I have received to date, but still not to bad. The value of the December box was $172.90 USD!!! I have been fairly impressed with my BoxyCharm, the value is definitely there. BoxyCharm is $21.00 USD a month with free shipping in the US, we Canadians pay an extra $5 shipping a month, with the exchange rate it ends up being just under $35 CAD a month. What I enjoy about BoxyCharm is that I have only received FULL SIZED products! No tiny face products that you can't get a face brush into.

Do you get BoxyCharm? Or any other monthly subscription boxes? How do you like them?

I think I am going to use the month of February to get caught up on all things Trash and Hauls! Than I can start off March fresh, hopefully. I haven't been the best at going through my sample stash, and truthfully, it's become slightly painful trying to get through the overflowing bins of Samples. I have gone through them again and gotten rid of anything that just really isn't interesting to me anymore. I won't be going anymore Sample Stash updates, as I am not going to force myself to use them up anymore. When I do use them up they will be going into my regular empties.

For the months of November and December I didn't manage to use up alot of samples, but it was better than nothing!

A few make up samples.

I had managed to use up a few makeup samples -

Urban Decay Sheer Revolution Lipstick sample card - This sample had to have been old! I really enjoyed playing with the samples in this card! I had already picked up Sheer Shame when Sephora had all the old packaging/formula as I liked it. The Sheer formula isn't really all that sheer, you can build them up!

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick sample card - Another old sample! Again I am a fan of Urban Decays lipstick formula. This sample card had a few bold shades in it, 69, Streak, that I really didn't feel comfortable wearing outside the house. But it ws fun to try shades out of my comfort zone.

Becca Backlight Targeted Colour Correctors - I had high hopes for these colour correctors, but sadly they didn't live up to my hopes. I am not sure if the sample was old or what but I found them to be very dry and hard to blend. I was surprised by this as I use the Undereye Corrector pretty much everyday and love it. Maybe I will get a sample from instore and see if it was just old samples I had.

Guerlain Lingerie De Peau - I liked this sample well enough, I was able to get 2 uses out of the foil sample. I am still on the fence about it and would be open to trying another sample of it!

Dior Diorskin Forever & Ever Wear Primer - I really enjoyed this primer a lot, but the one bad thing is the price! $60.00 CAD is a litte much for a primer, especially when I have a few others I like that are not quite that expensive. That being said, I wouldn't say no to another sample, or maybe picking it up during a either a sale or a Shopper's Opitmum Bonus redemption.

Dior Diorskin Forever Perfect Foundatin - I'm not sure if it was the combonation of the previous Primer and this or just the foundation, but my skin looked great on the days I was trying thses out. Again another pricey product at $64.00 CAD. And again, maybe during a sale I will bite the bullet!

Dr Jart Black Label Detox BB Beauty Balm - I had high hopes for this BB Cream since the I loved the gold packaged one. Sadly this one didn't work well for me. It settled in pores and fine lines, I looked really old whenever I used this. So no thanks!

Giorgio Armani Black Ecstasy mascara - This mascara did not work at all for me! It smudged before I even left the house for work, within 30 min! It continued to smudge throughout the day no matter what I was doing, even if I stayed in the house. Big Fail for me.

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer - Pore Minimizing - I think this worked ok? I didn't actually leave myself any notes on it, oops. Guess I will need to try another sample!

Skincare samples!

I didnt use up as many skincare samples as I wold have liked, I kept forgetting to bring some up to my bathroom. But here are my thoughts on the ones I did use.

BITE Agave Lip Mask trio - I have gone through a deluxe smple of the Natural and really liked it at night. It is a very thick consistancy and I don't think it would play with any other lip product over top of it. The Smashed shade had more pigment than I thought it would and left my lips with a nice red tint. Champagne was my least favorite of the bunch, the glitter seemed to stick around and felt a tad gritty to me. I would consider picking up the Natural again to use at night, once I get through what I have...

The Body SHop Vitamin E Sink-In Moistre Mask - This mask felt great for moisturizing but the overpowering floral scent turned me off, not to mention my husband wasn't a fan! The scent seemed to linger for quite a while.

Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Gel - I ws excited to try this sample out, what with all the hype about Drunk Elephant. But I just wasn't that impressed with it? Maybe my expectations were to high. It did an ok job of moisturizing but nothing spectacular. I wouldn't be opposed to trying it out again, but at this moment I won't be trying to pick it up.

Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Face Butter - This sample was so moisturizing, a little to much for my combo skin though! It was pretty quick for absorbing in my skin, only about 10 minutes. I ended up with a huge pimple on my nose the morning after I used this. So another no go.

Murad InstaMatte Oil-COntrol Mask - I tried this sample out for a few days as I only used it on nose, the oilest area on my face and sadly it didn't work for me. If anything my nose was oilier than usual.

REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask - This mask felt ok and seemed to get my face cleaned. It didn't wow me and I have a few others that I like better.

tarte Rainforest Of The Sea deep dive cleansing gel - I have tried this cleanser before and it still made my face felt tight. A little to deep cleansing for my older skin.

Glamglow Supercleanse - This cleanser got my face clean without making it feel tight! There was only enough in the sample for one use though. I would have to try it for a few more times before I said yes or no. I would be open to trying it some more.

L'Occitane Divine Cream - This is a nice refreshing scented face cream that is really moisturizing. A little to much moisture around the center of my face but it was great on my drier forhed and no pimples after using it! Another I would like to try for a few more days.

benfit It's Potent Eye Cream - I was able to get a few days worth out of this sample which was nice. I liked this eye cream, it had just the right amount moisture for me and didn't leave my under eye greasy. Makeup goes on well overtop of it as well. I am actually using a deluxe sample of this right now and am adding it to my list of maybe buys.

Perfume samples.

Lastly we have perfume samples which is what I have the most of. I am still going through a jar filled with these. It's what Sephora always has in the sample section when you order online. I didn't mind getting them at first, but now I just have way too many. The good part is that I have not purchased a perfume in forever! I am finding that some are really strong though, to strong for wearing at work (I work in a hospital so some scents I can get away with but not most). I am only going to try out new scents from now on on the weekend, I ran into the problem of having spritzed a few to strong ones before heading out the door to work and had to wash them off, almost making me late for work. A few have also still been able to smell after washing!

Angel Eau De Parfum, Muse, and Eau De Toilette - I love all three of these! I would get asked what I was wearing with any one of these. They have a nice scent on me and I would happily purchase any one of them! I do have deluxe samples of these so it may be awhile before I purchae one, not to mention i think i still have some more samples...

Chloé - Another favorite and one that I have quite a few smples of.

Donna Karan Liquid Cashmere - Smells awful on me! And its one of the strongly scented ones to. Definitely a no go!

Not a horrible batch of empties, not as many as I would have liked to see for a 2 month period though. I am not doing the greatest at using up my samples, and not always enjoying it anymore either. I think I am going to give it a ret of trying to use them up. I will still use them, just not to the extent that I was trying to. I have so many other products that i would love to use that it was just starting to feel not so fun anymore. Form now on I will just put the samples in with my regular trash!

Next up I think I will catch up on Boxycharm boxes. Than maybe stuff i have picked up over the past few months....some things I am loving! Some not so much. Than I will finish up with this years Trash and BoxyCharm.

Wow I have been very absent around here for quite a few months. There have been quite a few things going on in the last half of 2016 for me. Not all great but some that are! I have been trying to figure out a new OS, my husband finally talked me into getting on board with Mac! It is completely different from using a Windows based computer. I still haven't figured much out, but I think I may have gotten a handle on editing a few minor things in pictures. Hopefully I have enough figured out to get back to my little space on the web! If you have any tips/apps/programs that you love, let me know! The difference from my Windows to the Mac is astounding when it comes to pictures.

I thought I would ease back into posting with an empties post, not to mention I need to get rid of all this trash! I managed to actually get through quite a bit of stuff in 2 months!

Starting off with Bath and Body Care -

November and December Bath and Body Care Trash.

Nivea Body Wash care & orange - Love the scent of this! Bonus points for not drying out my skin as well. In the summer I could get away without using a moisturizer, not so much in wintertime. Repurchase? Always!

Bath & BodyWorks Ultra Shea Body Cream - I used up 2 scents, Mediterranean Blue Waters and Endless Weekend, of the 2 i preferred mediterranean blue waters. MBW has a fresher scent that I enjoyed. Repurchase? In some scent or other!

Joico K-Pak Conditioner - I received this during a cut-a-thon for Parkinson's a few years ago. I used to use Joico all the time when I was cutting hair full-time, I don't remember the scent being like this. This smelled off from the time I started using it and it did not seem to be the same formula as I was used to, it just wasn't as intense as I remember. I ended up using this as a shave cream when I forget to grab a new cartridge for my Intuition razor! Repurchase? I highly doubt it unless I smell it and it doesn't have the same off smell.

TRESemme Expert Hair Maximizer - I really liked how my hair felt whenever I used this styling cream. My hair felt soft, not crunchy and bonus for not making it feel dirty the next day. Repurchase? Maybe, I am working through a backlog of products atm.

Schick Intuition razor refill - What can I say, I am a creature of habit! Repurchase? Always

drybar Detox Dry Shampoo - Did a great job of soaking up oils but if you are sensitive to scents you probably won't like this one. You could smell this in my hair for most of the day. Repurchase? Not likely, I am not a fan of my hair competing with perfume!

bumble and bumble Surf Spray - Loved this stuff! It really helped to define the wave in my hair and never left me crunchy. Repurchase? Maybe, again once I get through backlog.

Bath and BodyWorks Foaming Hand soap - We used up only 1 hand soap? I think maybe another may have ended up in the real trash. The winter scent was nice and fresh smelling and the guys didn't seem to mind it. Repurchase? Again like most Bath & BodyWorks products I will repurchase in some scent!

Life Brand Exfoliating Foot Scrub - I didn't have to high of expectations with this foot scrub but was pleasantly surprised at just how well it worked. There is enough grit in it to get a really good scrub. It did a great job of getting most of the dry skin off my feet. Repurchase? I think so.

Next up is Face and Beauty -

November and December Beauty Trash.

Fluffs Cotton Pads - I used up 2 packs of these! These are almost always in an empty post. Great cheap cotton rounds from Dollarama. Repurchase? Always

Simple Cleansing Micellar Water - I was not a huge fan of this Micellar water at all. I found it left a film on my face as well as makeup! I also found that I couldn't use it near my eyes as it made them burn. Repurchase? No

Pacifica Purify Coconu Water Cleansing Wipes - I was not a fan of these wipes at all! They were not as moist as my usual wipes nor did have any texture to the wipe, they were more like a baby wipe than a makeup removing wipe. Repurchae? No

Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil - I picked this up quitre a while ago and than kind of forgot about it! Once I started using it I fell in love with it! I put this oil on in the morning when I am starting to get ready and by the time I am ready for lipstick it has mostly sunk in. Repurchase? Already did.

Neat & Easy Pore Strip - I used up 3 of them! I am ttrying to remember to use these at least once a week as I do find that they do a good job of clearing out my pores on my nose. My makeup does apply better after using these. Repurchase? Yes

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye - This is my second to last one left in my stash. I am alternating using this with other eye creams that I have. I already know I like it. Repurchase? Probably seeing as I have another waiting.

Sephora Waterproof eye Makeup Remover - This is a really great eye makeup remover and it is fairly affordable to! Gets all my eye makeup off without irritating my eyes. Repurchase? Probably, the price is good, $14 CAD for this size.

100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream - I got this in a sample box, I think. It worked well, played nice with makeup and a little went a long way. Not much else to say! Repurchase? If I could find it easily I probably would.

Farmacy Hydraing Coconut Gel Mask - I got this face mask in my first Boxycharm, back in June. It was a fine mask, left my face feeling hydrated. I don't really notice a huge diference when I use sheet masks other than hydrated skin. But they are fun and relaxing! Repurchase? I have a ton of face masks to get through so probably not anytime soon.

Clarins Super Restorative Remodeling Serum - One of the products I got the chance to blind test from the Elle Canada Beauty Grand Prix. I actually ended up liking this serum once I started using it more frequently. I enjoyed the blind testing but I think with serums and such you really do need to use them for longer than a week. Repurchase? Maybe, I am stil working through the backlog...

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara - Wow, I have had this forever and just recently found it. If you are in the market to buy a seperate mascara for your bottom lashes this one was great, that I can remember! It never smudged but because the wand wa so tiny it did take a bit to coat the lashes. Repurchae? Doubt it, I don't think I need a seperate mascara for bottom lashes as I rarely but anythingon them lately.

Carmex Lip Ointment - This is another product that took forever to use up! I have been using this at night and I have been waking up to soft lips! Repurchase? Maybe? I have a lot of balms and such to get through before I need to buy one.

Lastly, Home Fragrances -

A few candles and hand sanitizers.

Bath and BodyWorks Pocketbac - Endless Weekend was a nice scent. I always just grab a couple scents and hang them off my purse and lunch bag. Repurchase? Always

Yankee Candle votive in Vanilla Lime - This was a nice fresh scent, although it did not have the greatest throw. It really only scented a small room. Repurchase? Yes, even though it wasn't the strongest scent it was nice.

Yankee Candle small tumbler n Candy Cane Lane - One of my favorite Christmas time scents from Yankee Candle. It has just enough mint with a hint of sweetness. This one had a better throw than the Vanilla Lime. Repurchase? Already did

Yankee Candle votive in Silver Birch - Weirdly I found this had a more of a floral scent. Not my favorite scent. Repurchase? Probably not.

Bath and BodyWorks Pocketbac - Twisted Peppermint is a classic wintertime scent from Bath & Bodyworks! The Pocket bac had just the right amount of mint/sweetness. Repurchase? Next year!

Not a bad empties post to wrap up 2016! I used up quite a few full size products over November and December which always makes me happy! I hate wasting products and like to free up some space, full size products take up more room than samples! Not to mention that you can figure out whether or not the product works for you. And you spent your money on them!

So I am very far behind in my BoxyCharm unboxings! I am just going to give you a quick rundown on what I received for the past 3 months, and if I have tried out the products, what I thought about them!

August 2016 BoxyCharm

The theme for August BoxyCharm was 'Express Yourself' and I received 5 full size products plus a mini brush! The total value of the August box was $119.95 USD!!! The only brand I even heard about was Coastal Scents, and I had not tried anything from them before, I don't think anyway! I kind of like that about beauty subscriptions though, it gives me a chance to tryout products from brands that I may not have tried out otherwise. On to the contents of the August 'Express Yourself' BoxyCharm!

Coastal Scents Blush + Bronzer Mini Palette with bonus Angled Brush - Everything for a stunning face, all in one palette! It's all about your creativity...it's all about your look! I was excited to give this blush palette a try as I have heard about Coastal Scents but never tried anything from them. The palette has 1 matte and one shimmer blush, as well as a matte and shimmer bronzer and a highlighter. The 'shimmer' is just to much for me, it looks like straight up glitter on me! I do really like the matte products in the palette though. All 5 of the products are nicely pigmented and lasted a good 6-8 hours before they started to noticeably fade. $13.95 + 6.00 USD.

Aloette Time Repair Serum - Time Repair Serum is a powerful age-defying skin care complex, fortified with alpha and beta hydroxy acids to smooth away dead skin cells and powerful antioxidants to protect skin from damaging free radicals Formulated for all skin types, this non irritating, lightweight formula absorbs quickly to diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for a renewed radiance. I haven't tried this out yet, but i am looking forward to using this after I finish up the one I am using right now. $48.00 USD.

Dirty Little Secret Velvet Matte Liquid Lipstick - Create a long lasting velvet matte lip with this gorgeous liquid lipstick newly launched by Dirty Little Secret. I got this in the shade 'Phantom', which is a bright red shade. Not my kind of shade, so I haven't even opened it. $10.00 USD.

Makeup Eraser AmpliMascara - From the creators of the Makeup Eraser, we introduce to you: AmpliMascara! Use this bold mascara to seriously amp up your look by creating a full and thick set of lashes. Well, I lied, I have heard about Makeup Eraser as well! I hadn't even read the card until I sat down to write this post...oops. I have a huge backup of mascara samples to get through but I am always game to try out a new one! $23.00 USD.

Beauty For Real Shadow Stx - This paraben free and cruelty free, long-wearing, cream-to-powder eyeshadow stick is easy to apply and is infused with meadowfoam seed oil to moisturize, rejuvenate and reduce signs of aging. Thats a lot of claims for a shadow stick! Again I haven't tried this out, I received the shade Midnight Marathon' which is a pretty copper-y shade. This is a shade I can see myself wearing, but I have just recently discovered the Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks and I am loving it! $19.00 USD.

September 2016 BoxyCharm

The theme for September BoxyCharm was "Camp Glam' and again, I received 5 full size products! This is, I think, what I like the most about BoxyCharm! No little sample size products, I have so far, only received full size items. The total value for the September BoxyCharm box was $127.95, thats crazy! I had even heard and/or tried products from 3 out of the 5 for this month. I was excited for this month of BoxyCharm when I saw during the sneak peeks that would be getting an eyeshadow palette full of warm neutrals shades! Those are my favorite eyeshadow shades! ON to the contents of the September 'Express Yourself' BoxyCharm.

Project Beauty Hairgurt Smoothing Yogurt Hair Masque - A smoothing yogurt hair masque made with yogurt protein, prebiotics, quinoa, a botanical oil blend and bio-keratin. I had never heard of this hair product brand before, but hair masques are always good, especially with the cooler months coming. I haven't used this on myself yet, but I have used it on 2 other people. It smells like strawberry yogurt, in a good way! and really seemed to help to smooth out the hair cuticle and made it easy to comb through, without weighing down the hair. $11.00 USD.

Vasanti Professional Foundation Brush - Specially shaped & designed to create a flawless, even, and natural looking foundation application. I have never gotten the hang of using a foundation brush shaped like this, I prefer to use a flat top kabuki or similar shaped brush. What I love using these paddle shaped brushes for, is for applying face masks! They are the perfect size and shape to use with face masks. $32.00 USD.

PÜR Cosmetics Lip Lure - Let your lips speak for you with beautifully bold color and shine! This richly pigmented lip lacquer saturates your lips in true color and pout-perfecting hydration. Using a unique, flocked shower-head applicator, this creamy, full coverage liquid formula creates a show stopping look in just one stroke! I received the shade 'Fiery' which is a darker red shade. I didn't think it would be a shade I would wear but I wanted to try out the formula! It felt great going on and was completely opaque in one swipe! I actually didn't mind the color to much either! Unfortunately, this never dried down and was not transfer proof at all. It did however stain my lips slightly, which I actually liked better than when I first applied it! $22.00 USD.

Studio Makeup "On-The_Go" Palette - On the Go eyeshadow palette is a compilation of shades that updates the bare beauty look with a cosmopolitan attitude. The On the Go Eyeshadow Palette includes 9 shades that are perfect for creating day or night looks! There are 5 matte and 4 shimmer shades, all in warm toned neutral shades, my favorite! I have been reaching for this palette a ton since I got it. It has the perfect mix of matte and shimmery shades that combined make the easiest eye looks. $49.95 USD.

Hikari Cosmetics Eye LIner - The perfect mechanical eyeliner with a smooth formula for easy application. I have received products from Hikari before and they have been ok, nothing great, but not the worst either. I received this eyeliner in the shade 'Raven', which as you can tell from the name is black. I rarely, if ever, wear black eyeliner, I prefer to use brown. I haven't used this and won't be using it for that reason. $13.00 USD.

October 2016 BoxyCharm

And finally, October's BoxyCharm! The theme for October was 'Boxy Bazaar', and yet once again, 5 full size products. The total value for the October BoxyCharm was $127.50, are we starting to see a theme, you pay, in my case being Canadian just over $30 a month and the boxes have a retail value of over $100 USD. I had heard and/or tried products from 4 of the 5 brands for this month, getting better! The product I was looking forward to from the sneak peeks was actually the brushes and the hair product. In the October 'Boxy Bazaar' BoxyCharm I received-

IBY Beauty Threes Company Trio Eye Shadow - These three "must have shades" are perfect for fast and easy eye shadow contouring. Use the trio to brighten and define your eyes and make them appear dramatically bigger. $19.00 USD.

Now you probably noticed that I did not give my thoughts on the products I received in the October BoxyCharm! I have decided that from now on I would write what I received in the current months BoxyCharm, with swatches, and than give you my thoughts on the previous months products. This way I will have had a month to try out products and by than I should have decided whether or not I liked them! I was also thinking on having a running total of 'retail value' of the products that I like and also the ones I don't like and maybe at the end of the year do a comparison. Almost an is it worth it wrap up of BoxyCharm.

Now that I am up to date on BoxyCharm, I can hopefully stay on track with these ones to!